Nathaniel "Nate" Behar (born September 29, 1994) is a professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

wide receiver for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Starting ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

(CFL). He played for two years with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Comm ...

prior to becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

and signing with the Redblacks. He played

U Sports football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conf ...

for the

Carleton Ravens The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's ...

from 2013 to 2016.

University career

Carleton Ravens

On November 16, 2012, it was announced that Behar had signed a letter of intent to play for the

' re-established program which began in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

. He had been ranked as the number one high school wide receiver prospect in the country. He enjoyed a productive four-year career with the Ravens; totaling 178 receptions for 2,577 yards, and 21 touchdowns. His most famous touchdown, arguably, was on a last-play

Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...

to win the 2014

Panda Game The Panda Game is a Canadian rivalry football game between the two OUA football teams in Ottawa, Ontario, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton University Ravens. It is one of the oldest and richest rivalries in Canadian university footb ...

. At the end of his four-years, he was ranked as the ninth best player available in the

2017 CFL Draft The 2017 CFL Draft took place on Sunday May 7, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET on TSN and RDS. 71 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The draft was broadcast live on T ...

Professional career

Edmonton Eskimos

Behar was drafted fifth overall by the

in the

, but held off signing with the team as he and his agent entered a contract dispute with the club. He missed the team's rookie camp and training camp and was reportedly dissatisfied with the negotiation process as his contract offer became worse the longer he held out. Behar signed with the Eskimos on June 21, 2017, three days before the team's season opening game, to a two-year contract. He played in 12 regular season games that year, primarily on special teams as he recorded four special teams tackles. In

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, he played in all 18 regular season games and started eight, recording 27 catches for 257 receiving yards. He scored his first touchdown on August 9, 2018 against the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

. He played in 30 regular season games with the Eskimos and became a

upon the expiry of his contract on February 12, 2019.

Ottawa Redblacks

On February 15, 2019, Behar signed with the

to, reportedly, a one-year contract. In his first season in Ottawa, he caught 16 passes for 169 yards. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 11, 2020, and did not sign with any team in 2020, where the league cancelled the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...

. After not playing football in 2020, Behar re-signed with the Redblacks on June 28, 2021. During the 2021 season, he played in all 14 regular season games, catching 34 passes for 439 yards, both career highs. He was also the team's emergency

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and was pressed into duty on September 22, 2021, when both

Dominique Davis Dominique Dion Davis (born July 17, 1989) is an American professional gridiron football quarterback for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Davis played ...

and

Matt Nichols Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

succumbed to injuries. In that game, he played in two series where he had two carries for three yards and one completed pass for three yards. On January 20, 2022, Behar signed a one-year extension to remain with the Redblacks. Behar continued his strong play into the 2022 season posting new career highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (727), and touchdowns (2), despite missing five games due to injury. On December 16, 2022, Behar and the Redblacks agreed to a two-year contract extension.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks bioCarleton Ravens profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Behar, Nate 1994 births Living people Canadian football wide receivers Sportspeople from London, Ontario Players of Canadian football from Ontario Carleton Ravens football players Edmonton Elks players Ottawa Redblacks players