I saw some news about Tim Tebow and i just couldn't figure it out. How can one CFL team, in this case Montreal, own the rights on Tim Tebow or any other NFL players? Is there a secret draft or something like that every year?
I saw some news about Tim Tebow and i just couldn't figure it out. How can one CFL team, in this case Montreal, own the rights on Tim Tebow or any other NFL players? Is there a secret draft or something like that every year?
There is a negotiation list that each team carries. If any player on that list chooses to play in the CFL he can only sign for the team that owns his negotiations rights. I believe a team can drop and add any player at any time. If you follow Baseball you should be familiar with the practice of bidding on negotiation rights for Japanese players (Matsuzaka, Yarvish etc.). Its kind of like that but without a bidding war.
Yep, CFL teams can add any player to their secret neotiation list which is essentially a draft pick. The player must negotiate a contract with that team if they want to play in the CFL. The neg lists are pretty flexible, with college players, NFL veterans and undrafted CIS grads being included, I believe. There is some mechanism that if contract negotiations fail, the player would become a free agent, after a period of time. The neg-list player can also declare himself "ready to report" and request a contract offer and if one was not forthcoming, he would be released.
I think the number of players allowed on the Neg List is 35. Hamilton apparently had Tebow on their list and recently removed him, which allowed Montreal to add him to their list.
I haven't heard of any changes to the the "secret list" rules so I presume there are no limits to what positions a team has on their list. I know some teams were using almost half their 35 numbers for potential QB's. They couldn't use them all but the idea was to make the have not teams cough up a #1 draft choice for a QB off the Neg List.
The Argos and Bombers were played for suckers in the past, giving up picks for questionable talent.
Jim Barker has seemed to have changed things in Toronto since his arrival.
I have always advocated that there should be a limit of maybe 5 players for each position for more parity and save some GM's from their own stupidity. 5 QB's, 5 WR's, 5 RB's, 5 O-Line, 5 D-line, 5 LB's and 5 DB's. Total 35.
That seems silly, what's wrong with every team offering players who become available a contract and the player can choose which team to go to?
In a sense they are forcing those players to go only to 1 CFL team if they want to join the CFL.
So last season when Chris Jones went on a scouting tour and picked up players, does it mean that some of them were on our list? Or maybe that all of them weren't on anyone's list?
I believe players on the neg list are mostly players who have a slim chance of signing up here anyways. Last year we had Cam Newton, HAM had Tebow, MTL had Russell Wilson and I believe BC had Kaepernick. These are the players I believe that the club would sign immediately without having a tryout. The guys who participate in these camps are just free agents maybe a few were invited from the neg list but I don't think it's likely
The negotiation lists are basically a way to avoid bidding wars on potential non-CFL free agents. Like for example without a the neg list, if Tebow became available next year and decided to play in the CFL, he would basically be free to sign with the top bidder. Things like that could be a fiscal disaster for the CFL. Its a quirky system, without the sizzle of a draft, but it works.
I found out after reading Ottawa's draft rules that teams now have a limit of 10 QB's on their Neg List's. There must have been a "secret" correction in the last few years. (Everything about the Neg List is secret. lol)
I wish Ottawa was re-joining the League this year and would have except for a few selfish obstinate people that were allowed to hold everything up. Only in Canada could someone hold up the new Stadium in court battles paid for by the people whom the lawsuit was against, the City of Ottawa.
Some news out of Ottawa from Jeff Hunt is that he is kicking around the idea of having one home game a year using the old Rough Rider uniforms and name. He has spoken with Saskatchewan about this and it will probably become a reality. Hard to please everybody, but would be a small consolation to the "bring back the Rough Rider name" crowd.
Yes, it's like a draft but without the sizzle. So why not add the sizzle too? Why not get the fans involved rather than keeping player acquisitions and transactions secret? I think a CFL draft of American players (perhaps in combination with a Neg List) might add some interest for fans in the off-season. This could also be a way for the CFL to raise its profile in the U.S, which might help in recruiting. Sure, a U.S. draft might be a joke at first but in time it could bring some credibility to the league and their secret Neg List process.
A public draft would be a waste of time. Keep it the way it is.
Dusting off an old topic after reading some Manziel news.
I think I understand the purpose and mechanics of the neg list but just have two questions for the better informed.
Is adding a name simply first come, first served?
Can a team add anyone at any contract stage in the NFL or does the player have to be non-contracted elsewhere?
They can add any player that's not on another CFL team's neg list. TBH, the neg list was created to stop richer teams from having the ability to sign all the top available players, and that was a long time ago when there was no salary cap. Now that there is a cap, there really is no reason for a neg list. All players that are not part of the annual Canadian draft should be instant free agents.
It's us vs the rest of the country
Hm. The process disempowers a player like Manziel, as he can't shop himself around, but I suppose it eliminates bidding wars that might occur (even within the cap). It just seems really arbitrary to me that sending a fax off to the league before someone else does is enough to give you the rights to a potential franchise player.
Considering teams seem to be in no hurry to get rid of the lists...
It's also a way to avoid the PR negative of CFL teams fighting over NFL castoffs with bidding wars.
Hamilton seems to agree with you:
http://www.3downnation.com/2017/03/3...tion-neg-list/
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