CFL quarterback Matthew Shiltz signed a one-day contract with Hamilton on Thursday to retire as a Tiger-Cats player after eight seasons in the league.
Matthew Shiltz will close out his CFL career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, signing a one-day contract on Thursday designed to keep him in the club’s colours as he retires.
The 33-year-old quarterback spent eight seasons in the CFL, with two of those years coming in Hamilton from 2022 to 2023. The one-day agreement is a ceremonial step that confirms the team he’ll be remembered with, and it caps a run that included stops across multiple franchises.
Shiltz began his CFL journey with the Montreal Alouettes, playing from 2017 to 2019 and then returning in 2021.. After his time in Montreal. he later joined the Calgary Stampeders in 2024 and then moved to the Ottawa Redblacks in 2025. before landing back with Hamilton for the final chapter of his playing career.
During his time with Hamilton, Shiltz appeared in 28 regular-season games.. He completed 193 of 280 passes, finishing at 68.9% accuracy, and produced 2,491 passing yards with 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions.. His workload also reflected his mobility and ability to create plays outside traditional pocket passing. as he rushed 51 times for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
In explaining what Hamilton meant to him. Shiltz said the team felt like a second home. adding that the franchise was where he truly felt he had settled both as a player and as a person.. He also pointed to the atmosphere of playing in front of the Tiger-Cats’ fans and thanked them for welcoming him. noting that the organization will always hold a special place in his heart.
Looking beyond Hamilton, Shiltz compiled a broader career resume across 106 CFL regular-season games.. He completed 401 of 626 passes for 5,078 yards while posting 22 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.. His rushing production was substantial for a quarterback. as he ran 124 times for 789 yards with a 6.4-yard average and six touchdowns.
Shiltz’s football path also traces back to the college ranks at Butler University, where he played from 2012 to 2015. Over 29 collegiate games, he threw for 4,037 yards with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and he contributed in the running game as well, carrying for 857 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The significance of a one-day retirement contract is that it places the final line of a player’s professional story with the organization they most connect with. and in Shiltz’s case it also reflects his two-year spell in Hamilton as a key period in his CFL timeline.. For Hamilton. it offers an opportunity to honour a quarterback whose performances included both efficient passing and tangible rushing threat during his appearances.
For the Tiger-Cats. the move also reinforces how teams often preserve their own identity and history through the way they recognize former players.. Even as the club’s quarterback plans evolve from season to season. a contract like this ensures Shiltz’s name remains tied to the franchise as he steps away from playing.
Matthew Shiltz Hamilton Tiger-Cats CFL retirement one-day contract quarterback CFL career stats