The Edmonton Elks have agreed to terms with National offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell.

The 26-year-old adds to an Elks offensive line that starts four Nationals and two other former Alberta Golden Bears alumni in David Beard and Mark Korte. The former Golden Bear himself O'Donnell arrives in Edmonton after having spent the previous five years in the National Football League, spending time with the Indianapolis Colts from 2020-2023 and most recently playing in five games (three starts) for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023.

“Carter O’Donnell is a significant addition to our offensive line. His toughness, physicality, and relentless style of play are exactly what we seek in the trenches,” Elks vice president of football operations and general manager Ed Hervey said in a press release.

“Carter isn’t just here to compete, he’s here to push for a starting role and make an immediate impact on our roster.”

Prior to his time in the NFL, the Calgary product suited up for four seasons with the Chris Morris led Golden Bears, where he was molded into one of the highest recruited players in the program’s history.

O’Donnell entered the 2020 draft process as the third ranked player by the Canadian Scouting Bureau. He would end up being one of two U SPORTS players to attend the East-West Shrine bowl that season, catching the eye of NFL scouts. O’Donnell went unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft but was later signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent.

Due to his NFL obligations, O’Donnell was selected in the third round (22nd overall) of the 2020 CFL Draft by the Montreal Alouettes. His rights would remain with Montreal until Edmonton swung a deal for O’Donnell in 2022, trading the first-overall selection in the 2022 CFL Draft in exchange for the lineman’s rights and the fourth-overall pick.

The 6-foot-5, 313-pound lineman brings experience at both the guard and tackle positions for the Elks, in addition to his pro pedigree.