2021 Edmonton Elks season

2021 Edmonton Elks season
General managerBrock Sunderland
Head coachJaime Elizondo
Home fieldCommonwealth Stadium
Results
Record3–11
Division place5th, West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Team MOPJames Wilder Jr.
Team MOCSean Whyte
Team MORNyles Morgan
Uniform

The 2021 Edmonton Elks season was the 63rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 72nd overall. This was the first season that the team competed under a new name, as the "Eskimos" moniker was retired in 2020, and the new name "Elks" was announced on June 1, 2021.[1]

The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2018 following a week 14 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on November 5, 2021.[2] The team also finished the season without a home win for the first time in the team's 72–year history following that same home loss to the Roughriders.[2]

This was the fourth season under general manager Brock Sunderland.[3] This would have been the first season under head coach Scott Milanovich, but he resigned from his position on January 25, 2021.[4] Instead, Jaime Elizondo was named as the 23rd head coach in the team's history on February 1, 2021.[5]

An 18-game season schedule was originally released on November 20, 2020, but it was announced on April 21, 2021 that the start of the season would likely be delayed until August and feature a 14-game schedule.[6][7] On June 15, 2021, the league released the revised 14-game schedule with regular season play beginning on August 5, 2021.[8]

  1. ^ @elks (June 1, 2021). "New Name. Same Game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "Elks go winless at home this season, fall to Riders". TSN. November 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Eskimos part ways with head coach Jason Maas". cfl.ca. November 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Milanovich resigns as Edmonton's head coach". CFL.ca. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "EE Football Team names Jaime Elizondo as head coach". Edmonton Elks. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Divisional games take centre stage in unique 2021 schedule". Canadian Football League. November 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "CFL Announces Plans To Return-to-play For 2021 Season". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Circle your calendars: CFL releases 2021 schedule". Canadian Football League. June 15, 2021.