From the first contact with the Lions, Mathieu Betts felt that the Detroit team wanted to add him to its group. But the opposite is also true.
Betts, the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player last season with the British Columbia Lions, has chosen to sign his next contract south of the border, where his position is not guaranteed.
If he hesitated for a long time, we feel that the Detroit Lions courted him enough for more than two months for him to take the plunge again.
“We considered the Canadian League until the very end,” Betts emphasized by videoconference on Wednesday, 24 hours after signing his contract with Detroit. We found ourselves in a bit of a parallel process about knowing what league I was going to play in in 2024.”
After an unsuccessful first attempt with the Chicago Bears in 2019, Betts played a little over three seasons in the CFL, with the Edmonton Eskimos and the Lions. Over the last two campaigns in BC, he has become one of the best defensive ends in the league.
Despite everything, he claims not to have played these seasons in the Ambrosie circuit with the United States in the lead.
“A lot of things have changed since my first try in 2019. But in terms of my desire to return to the NFL, nothing has changed. I was asked if it was a goal and the answer was always the same: it never crossed my mind. I hoped that my performances would lead me to another chance. That’s what happened. »
It came very quickly after the elimination of British Columbia in the Western final in November.
“After the season in British Columbia, I had the chance to do three private workouts for NFL teams until mid-December,” Betts said. It went very well and I had good ‘feedbacks‘. Already, there were teams ready to engage with me.
“With the negotiation period coming up in the CFL, I wanted to take my time to find out the interest of the different CFL teams. The NFL teams have been very understanding. I had the luxury of taking my time and making an informed choice. I finally made my decision last Wednesday, after weighing the pros and cons of all aspects.”
Why the Lions more than the Cleveland Browns or the Buffalo Bills, for whom he also trained?
“It’s more a question of sensations, of energy,” said the Montrealer who will turn 29 in March. This is the first workout I did. From the start, they were interested in offering me a contract. These are three great experiences, but I immediately felt good there. It’s exciting to join a club that is heading in the right direction, that will be competitive in the coming years. Cleveland and Buffalo are also teams heading in the right direction, but we thought my chances of breaking into the lineup were better there.
“It’s hard to put into words the connection I felt. When I arrived [à Detroit], it’s clear that they had studied my game, that they knew who I am. They also knew the implications for me of leaving a league where I’m established and taking me to a place where I don’t have a guarantee. »
On the other hand, he believes he is better off for the next camp than when he arrived with the Bears in 2019.
« [En Colombie-Britannique], I had the opportunity to take my football to another level. Experience is something that can only be gained through playing. I thought I was good when I left university, now it’s night and day. I have a much better baggage today.”
Larks
Betts said the Montreal Alouettes were among the CFL teams he had discussions with. The media also put forward the name of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and obviously, the Lions.
The footballer, however, assured that no CFL team had been put forward by his agent, Sasha Ghavami, and him.
“I spoke with Danny [Maciocia, le directeur général des Alouettes] and other staff members last week. I had a very good meeting with them. This is one of the teams that we would consider very seriously if I had stayed in the Canadian League. We had not decided for one CFL club or another. »
If the experience should not be conclusive in Detroit, we bet that these Canadian clubs will still be ready to make room for him when September comes.
2024-02-14 20:36:00
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