By The Canadian Press

Veteran American receiver Rhymes retires after eight CFL campaigns

Feb 20, 2026 | 9:40 AM

Dominique Rhymes is leaving pro football on his own terms to start his own team.

The veteran American receiver announced his retirement Friday after eight CFL seasons. Rhymes, 32, of Miami, said he entertained offers this off-season as a free agent but began seriously pondering retirement roughly two months ago as he and his wife, Mackenzie, prepare for the birth of their first child in April.

“It’s been in my mind that it might be time to pivot into another direction,” Rhymes said. “I was totally happy (with retirement) because I’ve played football for a long time, I’ve had fun and given it my all.

“I’ve impacted so many people along the way and so many people have impacted me. I literally have no regrets … I’m someone who has fun in life and I’m ready for the next phase because I know it’s going to be just as fun.”

Rhymes has more than impending fatherhood to look forward to. This off-season he earned his firefighters’ certification and is working toward becoming a fireman in Ottawa — where he and his family will call home.

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Rhymes has also started his electrical apprenticeship.

“I’m so at peace,” Rhymes said. “I’m in the phase of my next life so it’s super great.”

Rhymes registered 372 career catches for 5,822 yards with 32 TDs in 110 regular-season contests with Ottawa (2017-19, 2024), B.C. (2021-23) and Calgary (2025). Three times he cracked the 1,000-yard receiving plateau.

Rhymes’ best CFL season came in 2022 when he established career highs in targets (122), catches (85), yards (1,401) and touchdown grabs (11) with B.C. Rhymes was named a league all-star that year.

The six-foot-four, 215-pound Rhymes was Calgary’s leading receiver last season — his first with the club — registering 50 receptions for a team-high 886 yards and six touchdowns. His 17.7-yard average per catch was a career high.

Calgary posted an 11-7 record in 2025 to finish third in the West Division. The Stampeders returned to the CFL playoffs after finishing last in 2024 with a 5-12-1 record.

But Calgary’s season ended with a 33-30 West Division semifinal loss to B.C. Rhymes finished with four catches for 66 yards.

“Dom has achieved a remarkable career and numerous accomplishments on the field,” said Kenny Kim of Summit Athletes, Rhymes’ Florida-based representative. “In my many years of working with him, he has proven himself to be one of the most respectful and genuine of individuals.

“I know he will be a great father to be and that he has a terrific future ahead of him.”

Rhymes said while he knows he’s still physically capable of playing football at a high level, it was important that he decide to leave football and not let the game make the decision for him.

“That’s the biggest thing, I’m going out knowing I was a great player leaving … I feel like I’m going out on a high,” he said. “All that (being Calgary’s leading receiver and career-best average per catch last year) just means it’s all on my own terms and that’s how you want to do it.

“As an athlete you grow up always thinking you can play every year but then that reality comes to where you think about your family. I’ve got a lot of changes coming in my life and it’s that time to pivot. I’m focused on my family and ready to move past football and start my other careers and be more at home.”

About the only accomplishment missing from Rhymes’ CFL resume is a Grey Cup victory. But Rhymes said he won in so many other ways playing in the CFL.

“Everyone wants to win a championship, that’s the No. 1 goal why you play sports,” he said. “But it (CFL career) has truly been a blessing, I gained so much from it.

“First of all, I gained my wife, I’m gaining a child and a new sense of purpose. Also, I gained so many brothers, friends and family. I took it (playing in Canada) as a blessing from the first day I came up here to the last time I stepped on the field. Canada has been my home since then and I can’t be anything but grateful.”

Rhymes and his wife don’t know the gender of their child yet and plan to wait until it is born. And while he won’t be playing football anymore, Rhymes envisions taking in Redblacks games and enjoying life from a fan’s perspective.

“You might see me at some Ottawa games watching some of my brothers still play with our baby,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press