The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became the first team to repeat as Grey Cup Champions in 13 years, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 21–18. The league announced on its Twitter page on January 29, 2010, that the season would start on July 1, 2010. As of 2024 this is the most recent CFL regular season to start in July.

CFL news in 2010

CFL retro

As the league approaches the 100th Grey Cup, the CFL celebrated the 1970s with all eight teams wearing retro-themed uniforms from that era during Weeks 6 and 7. Since Saskatchewan's alternate jersey is a version of the 1970s home jersey, they were the only team to wear both home and away retro jerseys during these games. Additionally, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the players donned red and black centennial jerseys that the team wore from 1912 to 1947 on July 17 when they played Edmonton at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field in Regina.

Debut of the Moncton series

The CFL began a series of annual games in Moncton, New Brunswick, during the 2010 season. The first game, marketed under the "Touchdown Atlantic" banner, took place on September 26, as the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Toronto Argonauts, 24–6, in front of a sold out crowd of 20,725 at the new Moncton Stadium. Tickets for the game sold out within 32 hours of going on sale. The success of Touchdown Atlantic 2010 has moved Moncton towards a position of candidate for CFL expansion.

Labour agreement

The collective bargaining agreement between the CFL and the CFL Players' Association expires on June 5, 2010. Negotiations between the two parties have been stalled since October 2009; a meeting is scheduled on April 26, 2010, in Toronto. Stu Laird, president of the CFLPA, has sent e-mails to all players. According to Canwest News Service, the e-mails advise the players to remain unified and "It continues to be the opinion of the executive committee that a CFL management lockout of the players is a very real possibility." On June 29, 2010, two days before the start of the regular season, it was announced that the CFL and CFLPA had agreed to a new 4-year CBA, set to expire before the 2014 CFL season. While many changes were made, the most prominent were those made to the salaries and the introduction of a drug policy. The 2010 team salary cap is set at $4,250,000 with a team salary floor of $3,900,000 and a minimum player salary of $42,000. The salary cap is set to increase $50,000 per season, reaching $4,400,000 by 2013, with the floor being $4,000,000 by that time. The minimum player salary is set to increase by $1000 per season until 2013 where it would be $45,000.

Rule changes

Like in the 2009 CFL season, another fan contest on what rule changes the fans wanted to see was done, this time the fans were asked by Commissioner Mark Cohon to focus on what changes could be made to the overtime format to improve it. While a complete overhaul of the format such as going to a "mini game" of playing two 5 minute no quarter halves or eliminating over time in the regular season, fans endorsed the current overtime format with one significant change. The four rules changes for the season approved by the rules committee, including a change to overtime the fans call on in the contest, are as follows: Changes to overtime Changes in regulation

Broadcasting

TSN remains the exclusive broadcaster for all CFL games in Canada. In the United States, the CFL ended its longstanding agreement with America One and signed a more limited deal with NFL Network, which will air 14 games for the season (as opposed to the roughly 70 games per year carried by America One). As with America One, NFL Network will simulcast the TSN broadcast. RDS remains the exclusive French broadcaster of the CFL showing all 18 Montreal Alouettes regular season games and all of the CFL Playoffs.

Records and milestones

Regular season

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points Teams in bold are currently in playoff positions. Hamilton finished ahead of Toronto in the standings because they won their head-to-head regular season series 3–0.

Award winners

CFL Player of the Week

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CFL Player of the Month

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CFL playoffs

The Montreal Alouettes became the first team to repeat as Grey Cup Champions in 13 years, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 21–18 at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Alouettes' wide receiver Jamel Richardson was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, and Roughriders' defensive tackle, Keith Shologan was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.

Playoff bracket

*-Team won in Double Overtime.

CFL Leaders

2010 CFL All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

2010 CFL Western All-Stars

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Defence

Special teams

2010 CFL Eastern All-Stars

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Defence

Special teams

2010 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars

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Defence

Special teams

Head coach

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2010 Gibson's Finest CFL Awards