Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma is eligible for Green Bay’s international exemption

One interesting roster mechanic to track for the Green Bay Packers  this offseason is what the team will ultimately do with Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma. A former U Sports athlete, Elgersma is eligible to be the team’s exempt/international player, which each NFL squad is granted one spot for each season. Essentially, teams are allowed to carry a 90-man offseason roster plus one roster exemption until cutdowns, and then they are allowed to have a 16-man practice squad with one international roster exemption during the season.


At the moment, the Packers’ exemption is kicker Alex Hale, who played at Oklahoma State after growing up in Australia. International exemption players are allowed to have played college football in the States, so long as they only spent two or fewer seasons in America at the prep level. For example, former second-round edge rusher David Ojabo, who played at the University of Michigan, was recently designated as the Baltimore Ravens ’ international exemption player, despite having played 13 games for the Ravens in the 2024 regular season. Ojabo was born in Nigeria and lived in Scotland before moving to America at 17 years old.


So if the Packers ever want to move on from Hale, who won’t be pushing Brandon McManus at the place kicker position anytime soon following McManus’ three-year contract extension , then a release of Hale will not need to come with a corresponding signing of an international player. Instead, Green Bay can choose to place their international exemption on Elgersma, allowing them to sign an American to their 90-man roster this summer.


This should also ring alarm bells for those in Sean Clifford’s camp. With Malik Willis the likely backup to Jordan Love, Clifford, a 2023 draft pick, is going to have to perform well in training camp to even earn a practice squad position. As mentioned previously, Elgersma would essentially be a free roll on the practice squad if he receives the international exemption, because he wouldn’t count against the traditional 16-man practice squad — unlike Clifford. So, unless Elgersma is far behind Clifford in camp, the value that he could bring from a roster mechanic standpoint could very well be the edge in the decision to keep either him or Clifford on the practice squad in 2025.


If you want to know more about the Packers’ newest quarterback, who won the Canadian equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, you can read our full scouting report on the signal-caller HERE .




Continue Reading @ Justis Mosqueda 

Justis Mosqueda wrote:

It's a way to have 3 QBs without tying up a PS slot.
Neither of the previous International players have made the team.

Originally Posted by: wpr 

Canadian citizens are not eligible for the International player development program.

Originally Posted by: dfosterf 

Beginning in 2024, the practice squad will expand to 17 players for all 32 clubs, if one player is a qualifying international player. A qualifying international player is a person whose citizenship and principal place of residence is outside the United States and Canada, and who has a maximum of two years of United States high school experience. In addition, an international player must (i) satisfy all NFL player eligibility rules and (ii) have been eligible for a prior NFL Draft.

https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/nfl-to-expand-practice-squad-to-include-one-international-player-for-all-32-clubs-in-2024/#:~:text=Those%20international%20players%2C%20scouted%20globally,Business%2C%20Major%20Events%20&%20International .

My only question is does the exemption effective go away if he is on the 53 man roster v. practice squad.

Originally Posted by: Martha Careful 

Really quite simple. The premise of the whole article is fake. On a personal level, I am a bit saddended that the Justis fellow has not retracted it. That being said, for me it doesn't even matter, as I have watched this kid throw a football, and by any objective criteria he is very very good. My worry is he will not get a fair shake.

Originally Posted by: dfosterf