Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander was named the CFL’s outstanding player and teammate Tyson Philpot was named top Canadian.
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Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander was named the CFL’s outstanding player, while teammate Tyson Philpot earned the league’s top Canadian honours, the team announced Thursday.
At a team photo shoot last Friday, Alexander and Philpot surprised each other with their awards. Philpot said it was “kind of my antenna started going off” when Alexander was not present, and he added: “Me and him had goals coming into the season, so it's two out of three down.”
Alexander and Philpot led Montreal to a CFL-best 14-4 record and a first-place finish in the East Division. The Alouettes will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Saturday’s division final, with the winner advancing to the Grey Cup on Nov. 15 in Calgary.
In the 2026 season, Alexander led the CFL in completion percentage (72.1), touchdowns (35) and 30-plus-yard completions (37), finishing second in passing (5,257 yards). The Alouettes went 13-3 in games Alexander started.
Philpot, a Delta, B.C., native, posted Canadian single-season records for catches (124, third-most all-time) and receiving yards (1,809) in a career-high 16 games. Philpot set a record pace with 13 touchdown receptions, tying Tyler Snead for the league lead, after recording five TD catches previously.
Philpot also led the CFL in 30-plus-yard catches (14), yards after catch (750) and receiving yards per game (113.1). Voting for both awards was conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada, with Alexander leading the outstanding player voting with 236 points and Philpot second with 154.
Alexander became the seventh Alouette to capture top player honours, joining Pat Abbruzzi (1955), Hal Patterson (1956), George Dixon (1962), David Green (1979), Mike Pringle (1998) and Anthony Calvillo (2003, 2008-09). Philpot became the sixth Alouette to be named the league’s top Canadian.
Both players said the awards reflected the team’s effort. Alexander said: “Everything we do is for each other, and there's absolutely, you guys know it, nobody ever bigger than the program,” while Philpot said his biggest goal in 2026 is helping Montreal win a ninth Grey Cup and the second since 2023.
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