| No. 9 Edmonton Elks | |
 Metchie with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024 | |
| Born: | (1996-09-11)September 11, 1996 (age 28) Lagos, Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| University | Guelph |
| CFL draft | 2018, round: 3, pick: 25 |
| Drafted by | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2018–2021 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 2022–2024 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 2025–present | Edmonton Elks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
Royce Metchie (/mɛˈtʃiːeɪ/MET-chee-ay;[1] born September 11, 1996) is a Nigerian-Canadian professionalfootballdefensive back for theEdmonton Elks of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time CFL All-Star and a three-timeGrey Cup champion after winning with theCalgary Stampeders in2018 and with the Argonauts in2022 and2024.
Metchie playedU Sports football for theGuelph Gryphons from 2014 to 2017.[2]
Metchie was drafted by the Stampeders in the third round, 25th overall, in the2018 CFL Draft and signed with the team on May 14, 2018.[3] He began the2018 season on the practice roster, but was soon elevated to the active roster and played in his first game on June 28, 2018, against theOttawa Redblacks. He dressed in seven regular season games in his rookie season and recorded five special teams tackles.[4] He was on the practice roster during the playoffs when he shared in the Stampeders'106th Grey Cup victory.
Following the off-season departure of startingsafetyTunde Adeleke and the retirement ofAdam Berger, Metchie became the Stampeders' starting safety for the2019 season.[5] He recorded his first career CFL interception during theLabour Day Classic on September 2, 2019, against theEdmonton Eskimos.[6] He played and started in 17 regular season games for the team in 2019 where he had 48 defensive tackles, seven special teams tackles, and three interceptions.[7]
He signed a contract extension with the Stampeders on January 18, 2021.[7] He played in seven games in 2021 where he had 31 defensive tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.[4]
On February 4, 2022, Metchie was traded to theToronto Argonauts in exchange forCameron Judge as both players had contracts expiring the following week.[8] He played in 17 regular season games where he had 72 defensive tackles and two interceptions.[9] He also played in both post-season games, including the109th Grey Cup, where he recorded three defensive tackles as he won his second Grey Cup championship in the victory over theWinnipeg Blue Bombers.[4]
On February 3, 2023, it was announced that Metchie had signed a two-year contract extension with the Argonauts.[10] On June 25, 2023, he scored his first career touchdown when he interceptedJarret Doege and returned the ball 15 yards for the score.[11] He played and started in all 18 regular season games where he matched his career-high of 72 defensive tackles and also had three pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception for a touchdown.[4] He also played in the East Final where he had five defensive tackles and one pass knockdown in the loss to theMontreal Alouettes.[4]
In the2024 season, Metchie played and started in all 18 regular season games where he recorded a career-high 87 defensive tackles to go along with one interception, two pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.[12] He started in all three post-season games, including the111th Grey Cup where he had three defensive tackles in the Argonauts' 41–24 victory over theWinnipeg Blue Bombers.[12][13]
TheEdmonton Elks announced they signed Metchie through free agency on February 11, 2025.[14]
| Defence | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | GS | DT | STT | QS | Int | FF | FR | TD | |
| 2018 | CGY | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | CGY | 17 | 17 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | CGY | Season cancelled | |||||||||
| 2021 | CGY | 7 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | TOR | 17 | 17 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | TOR | 18 | 18 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2024 | TOR | 18 | 18 | 87 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| CFL totals | 84 | 77 | 310 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||
Metchie was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and Taiwanese mother, and spent some time in his youth in Ghana and Taiwan before spending his childhood inBrampton, Ontario, Canada.[15] Metchie's younger brother,John Metchie III, is awide receiver who played college football forAlabama and was drafted in the2022 NFL draft by theHouston Texans.[16][17]
Media related toRoyce Metchie at Wikimedia Commons