BATH TWP. — Kyler Elsworth continues his wait to become an NFL player, but his football future might land him north of the border.
The former Michigan State linebacker and Rose Bowl hero said today that he is weighing an offer to join the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
“Montreal offered me a spot and a contract that’s great, and I’d be very happy to play there,” said Elsworth, who participated as an undrafted free agent in a rookie mini-camp with the Washington Redskins last month. “At the same time, I’m waiting to see on the NFL. But I want to play football — I don’t want both opportunities to pass me up.”
Elsworth and a number of other former Spartan athletes were taking part in Drew Stanton’s High 5ive Foundation charity golf outing at Hawk Hollow Golf Course. MSU coach Mark Dantonio and a few of his staff members also were at the event, along with the Big Ten and Rose Bowl championship trophies.
Proceeds of the event and an evening dinner go to benefit Special Olympics, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Children’s Miracle Network and Sparrow Hospital’s Children’s Center.
“This is an opportunity to give back to the community and a charitable cause,” Dantonio said. “It’s a great thing. There’s a lot of people out here.”
Goodrich native Elsworth, who made the game-saving tackle and started at middle linebacker in the Spartans’ Rose Bowl win over Stanford, was invited to Washington’s three-day rookie workouts in mid-May as a fullback and special teams player. He said the team told him it would be in contact, but Elsworth hasn’t heard from them but has kept in touch with other NFL teams.
“They didn’t call and say, ‘We need you,’ and they didn’t call to say, ‘We don’t need you,’” Elsworth said. “Right now, it’s kind of up in the air. The chances of getting a call diminish and get smaller and smaller the later on you go into the summer. But there’s still an opportunity that someone can get hurt or they need another guy and I could still get a call.”
Quarterback Andrew Maxwell also took part in San Diego’s rookie camp, saying it was an educational experience, but was not signed to a contract. He plans to spend the summer in East Lansing, continuing to work out and wait for his next football opportunity.
The CFL already has started its preseason games. Former MSU star Greg Jones, once a teammate of Elsworth’s, is currently a linebacker with the Toronto Argonauts after three NFL seasons with the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
Other Spartans currently in Canada are wide receiver Mark Dell (Edmonton Eskimos), cornerback Mitchell White (Montreal) and offensive lineman D.J. Young (Hamilton Tiger-Cats).
Elsworth knows his ultimate goal is to land in the NFL. The path to getting there is inconsequential to him.
“It’s a tough decision,” Elsworth said. “Once you sign that contract with the CFL, you’re kind of theirs. If you get that call from the NFL saying, ‘Hey, we want to bring you in,’ it’s kind of tough — that’s your dream, of playing in the NFL. But mine right now is just to play football.”
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