ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

The rookie safety scored two return touchdowns last week in leading the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Argonauts past the Ottawa Redblacks 29-16 for their first win of the season. 

The six-foot-three, 215-pound Slywka recorded a 105-yard fumble recovery and a 120-yard blocked field goal return, becoming the first CFL player to register 100-yard defensive and kick-return TDs in the same game.

Running with the ball, however, isn’t foreign to the 24-year-old Waterloo, N.Y., native.

He played both ways in high school — including some time at quarterback — and was converted to receiver by the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts last summer after signing with the club as an undrafted free agent out of Ithaca College.

“When you’re training as a receiver you’re working all of the ball drills,” Slywka said. “You’re catching the ball all the time and you really can’t drop it, that’s kind of your job.

“Growing up I played both ways, I grew up in a small town and I’ve been doing that my whole life. That helps, so when those off-schedule plays are happening, you don’t really feel out of place.”

The CFL season has already seen 12 TD returns — five via interception, four fumble returns, two kickoffs and a missed field goal. There were 20 in 2024, but only two at this point last season.

The record is 45, set in 1995, and the league is on pace for 46 in 2025. The mark for nine teams is 43, established in 2004.

ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ (1-3) hosts archrival Hamilton (1-2) at BMO Field on Friday. The Tiger-Cats are coming off a 35-17 home win over Montreal last week as starter Bo Levi Mitchell recorded his 100th regular-season win in 144 career starts, achieving the milestone faster than any player in CFL history.

Hamilton’s defence also figured prominently in the win. Canadian rookie linebacker Devin Veresuk had a pick-six in his first start, while defensive lineman Julian Howsare recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

Slywka’s returns came in just his fourth CFL contest. And although he’s also registered 14 tackles, a special-teams tackle and interception, his performance versus Ottawa was a coming-out party of sorts as Slywka’s missed field-goal return went viral on social media.

“The goal is always the goal,” Slywka said. “It’s to get the win and then also find ways to have opportunities to make plays yourself.

“I’m not on social media much, especially in-season … but it was pretty cool, my teammates were reaching out to me sending things and I think my mom was probably the most excited about all of it, she loves that stuff.”

Slywka’s performance came with his college head coach, a former teammate he hadn’t seen in some time, and family all at TD Place.

“That was the most memorable part of it, just celebrating that win and also celebrating and seeing the reaction of my family when I walked out in front of the buses,” he said. “That’s something I’ll never forget.

“It’s like the best part of sports when you’re celebrating. That’s why I love football because it’s such a team game and other sports aren’t celebrated in the same way necessarily.”

Both offences have relied heavily on their aerial attack this season as ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s Nick Arbuckle (1,110) and Mitchell (887) rank first and second in CFL passing yards. Arbuckle is also tied for the league lead in TD strikes (five) and interceptions (six), but has been sacked a CFL-high 12 times.

Hamilton (52.7 yards) and ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ (46.5) are second-last and last, respectively, in rushing, and are the only teams with 72 per cent or more passing plays on offence.

Last season, Mitchell led the CFL in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32). More importantly, he guided Hamilton to a 3-0 regular-season sweep of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.

“If you look at all three performances last year, we didn’t get to him enough,” Dinwiddie said. “We’ve got to take the simple throws away early on, especially on first down.

“If we can disrupt the pocket that’s going to disrupt him and make him get rid of the ball a little bit early. That’s when the secondary gets its turnovers.”

Slywka kept both footballs that he scored with last week, but hasn’t decided whether to keep them or send one — or both — to family in the U.S.

‘They’re probably going to stay here, (but) they might go back across (Canada-U. S border),” he said. “I know my grandpa would think it’s pretty cool. 

“I might send one back to him.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.