Tom Cousineau’s Unbelievable Journey After Being NFL’s Top Draft Pick
Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, selected first overall in the 1979 NFL Draft, stunned football fans nationwide by bypassing the NFL to immediately sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. This unprecedented move sent shockwaves through professional football and reshaped franchise futures in both leagues.
The Buffalo Bills held the top pick in the 1979 draft thanks to a trade that sent NFL legend O.J. Simpson to San Francisco. Cousineau, hailed as the best player available, had dominated college football at Ohio State, owning virtually every tackling record and earning two-time All-American honors. Scouts and media outlets, including The New York Times, had pegged him as the sure-fire No. 1 pick. When Buffalo selected him as expected, the room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York was filled with anticipation—except Cousineau wasn’t quite ready to endorse the Bills’ contract offer.
Contract Standoff Sparks Surprise CFL Leap
Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson offered Cousineau a five-year deal rumored to be worth $1.2 million, but negotiations stalled. The Bills’ hardline stance left the linebacker searching for alternatives. In a stunning twist, Cousineau accepted a lucrative CFL offer from Montreal—$150,000 annually plus a $200,000 signing bonus—making him the first No. 1 NFL draft pick since 1960 to jump leagues before playing an NFL down.
“I think I can be very effective because the game is fast and wide open,” Cousineau told The New York Times after signing in Canada.
The move instantly altered expectations, as the surest pick of the NFL draft vanished before taking the field in the NFL.
Dominating in Canada, Changing the NFL Landscape
Cousineau quickly proved his worth in the CFL, winning the Grey Cup Defensive MVP and the James P. McCaffrey Trophy for the outstanding defensive player in the East Division. But after three seasons in Montreal, amid the Alouettes’ growing financial struggles, Cousineau opted to return to the NFL.
The Houston Oilers made a record $2.5 million offer over five years to lure him back, but Buffalo could not match this high bid. Ultimately, Buffalo traded Cousineau’s NFL rights to the Cleveland Browns, led by owner Art Modell, who wanted his hometown hero. The Browns sent a first-, second-, and third-round pick—one of which became Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly—to Buffalo in the deal.
A Legacy Beyond the Gridiron
Cousineau played four seasons with the Browns, earning second-team All-Pro honors before finishing his career with two seasons at the San Francisco 49ers. After retiring, he returned to Ohio and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
His career is remembered not just for his dominance on the field but for the unprecedented decisions that sent shockwaves through professional football. A Buckeye so talented he was the top NFL draft pick, so valuable he shifted three franchises’ futures—yet he never played a single down for the team that drafted him first.
Colorado and U.S. football fans today continue to marvel at the boldness of Cousineau’s leap to the CFL and how it reshaped the NFL draft landscape and player negotiations—a legacy of negotiation power, cross-league competition, and hometown pride.
