{"id":68123,"date":"2022-11-22T05:59:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T12:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=68123"},"modified":"2022-11-22T05:59:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T12:59:37","slug":"bo-levi-mitchell-looking-to-write-his-next-chapter-in-his-cfl-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2022\/11\/22\/bo-levi-mitchell-looking-to-write-his-next-chapter-in-his-cfl-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Bo Levi Mitchell looking to write his next chapter in his CFL career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Calgary Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell signs an autograph for fans in Calgary, Alberta on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Mitchell greeted the fans following the Stampeders walk through. (Photo by Phil Wachowich\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

C<\/span>algary\u2019s 30-16 loss to the BC Lions on Sunday not only meant the end of the season, but likely signalled the last time Bo Levi Mitchell would be seen in Stampeder colours.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>railing by two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, Dave Dickenson turned the Stampeder offence back over to a familiar face. After being replaced as starting quarterback in August, Bo Levi Mitchell once again found himself under centre for the Stampeders. Mitchell provided Calgary with a spark, completing 8-11 passes for 147 yards, but ultimately fell short of being able to ignite a comeback win.<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s surprise playoff appearance was very likely his last in Stampeder red and white.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time in this stadium, and it won\u2019t be the last time I play in this stadium,\u201d Mitchell told reporters ahead of Calgary\u2019s final home game of the season against Saskatchewan. \u201cI\u2019ve talked to Dave and told him I don\u2019t need a hoorah moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, Mitchell got the moment he didn\u2019t ask for. The all-time passing yards leader in franchise history took the field late in the game and received a well-earned standing ovation from Calgary fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome to be able to have that moment with the fans and my teammates,\u201d Mitchell told reporters<\/a> following the 36-10 victory over the Roughriders. \u201cI\u2019ve loved every second I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s comments over the last number of weeks all but guarantee that his departure is imminent. Speculation continues to build on where the Stampeder legend will call home for the 2023 campaign. He will celebrate his 33rd birthday before the beginning of next season, but the veteran signal-caller is still eager to prove he has more football to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cSports is marriage where you\u2019re always going to get divorced,\u201d Mitchell told reporters ahead of the game against Saskatchewan. \u201cI\u2019ll never say a bad thing about anybody in this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Katy, Texas native\u2019s illustrious resume will leave no shortage of quarterback-needy franchises interested in his services. Both of the West Division teams that fell short of the playoffs, Edmonton and Saskatchewan, are rumoured to be among the teams that will be looking to bring in Mitchell.<\/p>\n

The Elks division-worst 4-14 season ended with the team dropping seven of the last eight. After failing to win a home game in a CFL record 17 attempts, adding the two-time Grey Cup Champion to Chris Jones\u2019 group would give a desperate fanbase something to get excited about.<\/p>\n

In Saskatchewan, the Roughriders fell short of the playoffs for the first time since 2016. A motivated Mitchell could be the remedy the Riders need to quickly get back to winning ways.<\/p>\n

With the resume that Mitchell has amassed in Calgary, it\u2019s easy to imagine that East Division clubs with question marks at quarterback will kick the tires on Mitchell as well.<\/p>\n

The uncertainty of Mitchell\u2019s future is a direct result of Calgary\u2019s newfound certainty in other options at his position. Despite a less than ideal playoff performance, 25-year-old Jake Maier had a strong 6-3 record after taking over the starting spot mid-season. He was rewarded for his performance with a 2-year contract-extension in late September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe writing\u2019s on the wall when you pay another guy,\u201d Mitchell told the media following Calgary\u2019s playoff loss to the Lions. \u201cObviously, things can change and all that, but if you\u2019re looking, you can see what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Maier, Indiana native Tommy Stevens didn\u2019t do anything to hurt his case for some additional reps next season after his performance in the final game of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am hopeful that Tommy gets some time because I don\u2019t know as much about Tommy,\u201d Dave Dickenson told reporters prior to regular season finale.<\/p>\n

Dickenson\u2019s interest in Stevens surely piqued when the quarterback took off for an 85-yard touchdown run in the first half. The 25-year-old finished the game 17 yards short of the single game CFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback.<\/p>\n

No matter how promising the future looks for both Maier and Stevens, Mitchell\u2019s lengthy list of accomplishments as a Stampeder surely creates some mixed feelings for fans about his impending departure. The Texan brought home the CFL\u2019s Most Outstanding Player Award in both 2016 and 2018, and is the all-time Stampeder leader in completed passes.<\/p>\n

Any Stampeder fan would be able to list off plenty of fond memories they\u2019ve amassed while watching Mitchell since he took over the starting spot in 2013. Watching him go on to have success for either the rival Elks or the Roughriders could be difficult for some fans to swallow.<\/p>\n

Some of Mitchell\u2019s teammates, particularly those who were a part of the 2018 Grey Cup Championship team, might feel the same.<\/p>\n

It was hard to find a Stampeder player who wasn\u2019t encouraging the crowd to rise to their feet and applaud the long-time face of the franchise as he entered into the game against Saskatchewan. Prior to the game, Jameer Thurman joined Mitchell\u2019s media scrum to heap praise on his long-time quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the greatest quarterback in Stampeders history, probably one of the greatest quarterbacks in the CFL ever,\u201d Thurman said to Mitchell. \u201cI\u2019ve been there with you, I\u2019ve won a Grey Cup with you, and we\u2019ve won a lot of games together. You are my QB1, always.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved every minute I\u2019ve been here,\u201d Mitchell said in response. \u201cI look forward to every minute I get to play against you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Calgary Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell meets with media in Calgary, Alberta on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Mitchell, the all-time passing yards leader in Stampeder history, spoke ahead of what likely was his final home game as a Stampeder. (Photo by Phil Wachowich\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With his \u201choorah\u201d moment behind, Calgary Stampeder fans might not see a long-time face of the franchise for too long especially after the 30-16 loss to BC Lions [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":804,"featured_media":68124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S3 Bo Levi Mitchell PW","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-68123","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/804"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68123"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68389,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68123\/revisions\/68389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}