The first player I talked to was Brendan Bordner, who comes over from Hamilton after a strong 2024 and an up-and-down 2025, which saw him benched at the end of the season with Jordan Murray, who also joined the Elks in free agency. He’s someone general manager Ed Hervey knows well from his time in Hamilton and who will be competing in training camp for the starting left tackle position following the Elks’ release of Martez Ivey. I was interested in asking him about the relationship with Ed and, naturally, coming over to Edmonton to compete with Jordan, who took his spot in Hamilton.
ME: What goes into the decision to come to Edmonton, and overall what’s that like?
BRENDAN: Yeah, I mean, I think it starts kind of just with Ed reaching out. Obviously, we had a prior relationship, so I kind of knew him. I knew him as a man, kind of what he meant, what he stood for. And then you just kind of start looking into what the offer is, how that kind of compares to other places. It’s kind of the same thing with (Malik) Carney, what he was talking about. You start looking at the O-line, you look at the team, the construction, kind of the trajectory of how things are going. Like, obviously, it’s been rough at times around here, but it’s been, I mean, I’m still fairly new. I’ve been here two years in the league, and I think both years it’s been, Edmonton’s kind of started slow and then, like, picked it up. And I think especially last year, when you saw the switch with Fajardo starting, I mean, we managed to come out on top of both of those games against them, but, like, they’re a good team. Like, they were a lot better than their record showed, and I think that was kind of something exciting to be able to, like, look forward to, that is a good team. Like, I’m not just going somewhere just for money. Like, you go somewhere because you want to win, too.
ME: The relationship when Ed was in Hamilton, did you guys have a close relationship? Was it just someone you kind of watched from afar at that AGM spot and was like, I really appreciate what he’s doing, you know if the dice ever roll a certain way, I’d like to end up on his team? Was that something you thought about, or was it him reaching out this past off-season?
BRENDAN: Um, I don’t think it’s something where, like, yeah, I want to, like, leave for something. I think it’s, like I said, like, no matter where you end up, like, people are going to be good people. That’s kind of the expectation. But being able to know, like, firsthand, like, I know this person, I trust this person, this good person. Like, kind of having that prior relationship is definitely helpful. Like, when comparing, like, say, like, Edmonton to another team that I haven’t been on before. Like, never been to Edmonton, never played there, but you know some people there. You know the front office. You know Beard. Like, you know some other guys who have been here. Like, you can attest to what they’re building and what they’ve been talking about.
ME: Do you look at, you know, that left tackle spot, and you’re like, Martez wasn’t playing great, I can go steal a job there? Do you think about that actively, or is it just, like, compete for the spot, what’s best for me? (1:33)
BRENDAN: Yeah, I mean, I think you definitely have certain expectations coming in of how, say, position battles or whatnot are going to go. But at the end of the day, like, it’s what I do between November and May that is going to determine that. So what I’m doing in the off-season, how I’m working, that kind of leads for June through October.
ME: So, like, you come over with Jordan – What was that like?
BRENDAN: I’d say, I mean, it is what it is, right? Like, as a player, as a teammate, as a friend, as a fucking, sorry – as a roommate, like, you’re never rooting against a guy. You know? Obviously, like, I want to be the guy out there. Like, I don’t want it to be him instead of me. But if he’s out there, like, I want him to be the best left tackle in the league or the best right tackle. Like, wherever a guy is, like, that’s what you want. Like, I’m not, like, bitter or angry at the player. Like, it’s not on a player, you know? As coaches make their decision, and whatever the coaches decide, like, you go with that. Like, you make the best of it. And whatever role that you have, you just kind of have to exceed at that role.
ME: Would you ever play guard?
BRENDAN: Um. I mean, I’ve played it before. I don’t think it’s probably my future in the CFL. Just with the ratio rules and whatnot. I mean, personally, like, I’m a competitor. I think I can play any position. I think I can go play D-tackle. Like, I think if I’m on the football field, like, I’m going to go play football.
