Close wasn’t good enough for the Edmonton Elks, and Chris Jones has paid the price.
The Elks announced Monday that Jones has been fired as the team’s head coach and general manager, ending what has been a dismal second stint with the CFL club for the four-time Grey Cup winner.
Geroy Simon will take over as interim general manager, while offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson will handle interim head coach duties.
The Elks, looking to turn the corner after three straight dreadful seasons, have looked more competitive this season. But that has not translated into victories.
Edmonton is off to an 0-5 start, with four of those losses coming by three points.
“Chris worked extremely hard to improve our football team over the last several seasons and we thank him for that,” Elks president and chief executive officer Rick LeLacheur said in a statement.
“There’s no question we’re a better team today than we were the previous two seasons, but ultimately this is a results-based business and the wins haven’t materialized.”
The last straw came Sunday night in a 37-34 loss to visiting Ottawa. Edmonton tied the game with a late touchdown but then booted the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff.
With the Redblacks getting the ball back at midfield, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown completed a 29-yard pass to set up Lewis Ward’s game-winning field goal.
Overall, the club had a record of 8-33 over two-plus seasons during Jones’s second time in charge, including two seasons (2021, 2022) without a win at Commonwealth Stadium as part of a 22-game home losing streak.
Jones previously served as Elks head coach in 2014 and 2015, when he led the team to a Grey Cup title.