Matt Dunigan reportedly won’t return to CFL on TSN coverage this year

An almost-constant presence on Canadian Football League broadcasts for the past two-plus decades seems likely to not be there this year. Matt Dunigan, the former quarterback for Louisiana Tech in college and Edmonton, B.C., Toronto, Winnipeg, Birmingham, and Hamilton in the CFL, has been a fixture on CBC and then TSN CFL coverage since 1989, starting that work even during his playing career and being particularly notable on TSN since 1999.

But John Hodge of 3 Down Nation reported Friday that Dunigan’s CFL on TSN time appears to have come to an end ahead of the upcoming 2025 season:

Matt Dunigan not returning to CFL on TSN: sourceshttps://t.co/B0wjezSQN4#CFL | #TSN pic.twitter.com/W6TtrWx2l3

— John Hodge (@JohnDHodge) May 16, 2025

Here’s more from Hodge’s piece:

The 64-year-old native of Lakewood, Ohio originally joined the network in 1999 and remained with it through 2024, save for one year he spent as the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders in 2004. He primarily served as a panelist while also occasionally doing colour commentary.

Dunigan played quarterback in the CFL from 1983 to 1996 with Edmonton, B.C., Toronto, Winnipeg, Birmingham, and Hamilton, throwing for 43,857 yards, 303 touchdowns, and 211 interceptions. He was a three-time All-CFL selection, a two-time Grey Cup champion, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

TSN nor Dunigan immediately returned a request for comment.

While this remains in the report-only category for now, the lack of denials more than a day later adds to its believability. And if this does come to pass, Dunigan will certainly be missed.

Beyond his playing experience (including a record-breaking game with 713 passing yards) across that aforementioned variety of teams (even with time in the strange and glorious CFL USA era with Birmingham), Dunigan’s brought a lot to CFL commentary over the years. That’s been true with his colour commentary on games, but it’s especially been seen in studio with TSN’s pregame/halftime/postgame panel.

Dunigan may be American-born, but most of his professional career came north of the border, and he’s become a famed TV character in Canada. There, Dunigan’s often showed off his personality and ability to laugh, including even in a three-season Road Grill cooking show series for Food Network Canada (currently at least somewhat available on Pluto TV, Apple TV+, and more in the U.S.). His combination of league knowledge and a sense of humour has fit in well on the often-lighthearted panel. He’s also shown an ability to talk about serious issues, including concussions, which left a mark on him. And TSN’s shows will be different without him.

Interestingly enough, this is just part of the changes around the CFL on TSN coverage for 2025. Another long-time TSN figure who won’t be playing a role in their coverage of the league this season is Stewart Johnston. Johnston left his most recent role as a senior vice president (content) at TSN parent Bell Media in April to become the league’s 15th commissioner.

We’ll see what way the CFL on TSN coverage (which is also seen on the league’s U.S. broadcasts on CBS platforms and their own free CFL+ streaming service, which tend to simply syndicate TSN coverage) elects to go post-Dunigan if he is indeed moving on. But he’ll certainly be missed. And CFL broadcasts will be different without him.