Edmonton Elks relieve Chris Jones of his duties as head coach and GM

The Edmonton Elks fired Chris Jones on Monday after the Canadian Football League team’s head coach and general manager led the team to a 5-0 record entering the 2024 season.

The move came less than 24 hours after the Elks – who are last in the CFL West division, four points behind the fourth-place Winnipeg Blue Bombers – lost 37-34 at home to the Ottawa Redblacks on a last-second field goal, their third consecutive such loss.

“When you have three walk-off losses in a row, something is wrong and we have to fix it,” Rick LeLacheur, interim president and CEO of the Elks, said Monday at a press conference after Jones’ firing.

LeLacheur said he consulted with the Elks board of directors and all potential owners – the publicly owned team is looking to sell to private interests – before firing Jones, who had played five games in his third season with the Elks.

Geroy Simon and Jarious Jackson were named interim GM and head coach, respectively.

Jones leaves the team with a record of 8-33 after joining the Green and Gold for a second stint in Edmonton ahead of the 2022 CFL season, replacing Brock Sutherland and Jaime Elizondo.

Jones had previously coached the team in 2014 and 2015, winning the Grey Cup last year, before leaving the team to take on the duties of head coach and GM of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Jackson, who took on head coaching duties in addition to his role as offensive coordinator, said Jones’ departure was “a difficult situation” but the players still “believe” in the team’s direction.

“The locker room is still together and I just want them to have hope and push forward and know that we can still get wins at the end,” he said.

Jackson said players and fans can expect “a few changes,” but that quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson will remain the Elks’ starter despite calls for Tre Ford to take over as primary signal-caller.

Ford replaced Taylor Cornelius as the team’s top quarterback last season, winning four games, but took over as backup after Bethel-Thompson joined Edmonton as a free agent this season.

“We may have to make some adjustments to how we play, but McLeod is still our quarterback,” Jackson said, adding that he may try to put all three of the Elks’ quarterbacks in games, including third-stringer Dakota Prukop, who typically handles short-yardage situations.

“I believe in Dakota and I believe in Tre. One way or another, we’re going to find out if we need to get all the guys on the field in some capacity.”

The Elks’ next game is on Friday when they travel to Ottawa to face the Redblacks.