One of the newest Eagles linebackers once turned down the New England Patriots. Alex Singleton, a burgeoning special teams star after one preseason game, traded the uncertainty of making Bill Belichick’s final roster for the security of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

True story. The 25-year-old opted to enter the CFL Draft over training camp with the Patriots and ended up going sixth overall to the Calgary Stampeders in 2016.

Singleton, who is fighting for a roster spot on the Eagles’ 53, didn’t want to risk being unemployed and he saw an opportunity to catch on in the CFL. Besides, Singleton had just received dual citizenship in Canada.

The move had nothing to do with not respecting Belichick or not wanting to play for the Patriots. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder just wanted to play professional football — somewhere.

“He said no to the Patriots the day of the Canadian draft,” his mother Kim told CFL.ca. “He said, ‘Unless you’re going to sign me, guaranteed sign me, I’m not coming to be a body for the summer. I can’t do it. I just want to play.”

After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, Singleton was cut six times and tried out for 13 different teams without sticking in any one spot for more than a quick cup of coffee. His mother, Kim Singleton, was living in Toronto at the time so when his agent offered the CFL as another path to playing professional football, well, he jumped on it.

“He plays with that chip on his shoulder, that edge all the time. I think those instances where he had an opportunity in the NFL and each time it didn’t work out for him, it added fire,” his college linebackers coach Kane Ioane said. “There isn’t a team in the CFL that wouldn’t want him. He’s going to play himself into a position where there could be teams in the NFL that are going, ‘Woah, we missed out on that one’.”

CFL Star for Calgary Stampeders

Alex Singleton helped lead the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup — the CFL’s equivalent to the Super Bowl — in his rookie season in 2016. They would lose that year (and again in 2017) but Singleton held on to the pain of back-to-back Grey Cup losses and used it as motivation.

In 2018, the hard-hitting linebacker was back on the biggest stage — for the third straight year — and this time he wouldn’t be denied. Singleton’s Stampeders beat the Ottawa Redblacks, 27-16, to win the 106th Grey Cup.

“I’ve never been (a champion) before,” Singleton told TSN. “I’m still trying to soak it in.”

Singleton made a game-high eight tackles and shared the victory with his sister, Ashley, a Special Olympian who has Downs Syndrome, in a touching moment that went instantly viral.

Emotional moment for @alexsingleton49 as he celebrates his #GreyCup victory with his sister, Ashley. pic.twitter.com/EAIgaqQenX — TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 26, 2018

In the weeks leading up to the title game, the California native had been compiling some record-setting numbers. Chris O’Leary from CFL.ca charted his accomplishments in that championship-winning 2018 season for Calgary:

His 123 tackles were a record for a Canadian player and a single-season team record. In Weeks 11-13 he set a league record for three games with 10-plus tackles. Throw in four sacks, 12 QB pressures, an interception, a forced fumble and four knockdowns and you can see why he picked up three team awards (Outstanding player, Canadian and defensive player). He improved upon his rookie season, was named a West all-star and solidified himself as one of the top players in the CFL.

Singleton was invited to present the Grey Cup at a Calgary Flames hockey game and skated around the ice with it before an adoring Canadian crowd. In three straight Grey Cup finals, he racked up 19 tackles.

Singleton: The Story of an Exceptional Athlete

His mother Kim described Alex as a phenomenal athlete throughout his childhood, including a brief stint as a little league baseball player. He was even photographed wearing a Philadelphia Phillies uniform at a young age.

Despite his elite athleticism, Singleton only received one college scholarship offer. The offer came from Montana State and while his dream was to play for the hometown USC Trojans, he went to the Big Sky Conference and thrived. He started there all four years and finished with 246 tackles.

“You hear all these stories about these guys who go on all these (recruiting) trips and that stuff,” Singleton told CFL.ca’s Chris O’Leary. “I took one and I committed right then.”