Other Teams Free Agents

[jerrym]

Wiith GM/HC Chris Jones prone to making more changes than most other GMs and HCs, the Riders can expect more than the usual number of changes in personnel. Zach Collaros combination of high salary, injuries, pedestrian results and free agency, in addition to that of Brandon Bridge, changes can be expected at this key position.



While free agency threatens to reshape rosters across the league, how the Riders go about their winter will be particularly interesting. Retaining their key defensive free agents, like Willie Jefferson (https://www.cfl.ca/players/willie-jefferson/159631/) — who 3Down Nation’s Justin Dunk reports (http://3downnation.com/2018/11/12/riders-free-agent-and-notable-contract-list/) will generate NFL interest — national Zack Evans, Sam Eguavoen, Tobi Antigha (https://www.cfl.ca/players/tobi-antigha/163077/) and Loucheiz Purifoy (https://www.cfl.ca/players/loucheiz-purifoy/161341/), to name a few, are obvious musts. But with quarterbacks Zach Collaros (https://www.cfl.ca/players/zach-collaros/155276/) and Brandon Bridge (https://www.cfl.ca/players/brandon-bridge/161494/) heading into free agency in a year where the Riders offence only scored 14 more touchdowns than its defence, a facelift at this position could be on the horizon.
Mike Reilly (https://www.cfl.ca/players/mike-reilly/131087/) will likely be at the top of the Riders (and probably at least seven other teams) wish list. Jones won a Grey Cup with Reilly in Edmonton in 2015 and hasn’t been able to replace the leadership, arm strength and running threat that No. 13 brought week-in and week-out in Edmonton. If Reilly spurns that interest, I’d expect Jones and his staff to explore any and all QB options within the CFL, then to take a long look through their neg-list and into the States to try to find someone that fits the hefty mould that Reilly casts as arguably the league’s best pivot.
While Collaros made a reported $450,000 this season, an upgrade at quarterback will come with a cost. So would the likely signing of a high-calibre receiver or two that will probably gravitate to wherever Reilly chooses to sign (or re-sign, if he opts to stay in Edmonton). So how do those dollars spent impact a defence that will also require a significant cash investment to keep intact? The Riders will no doubt look different next year and if there’s an offensive upgrade, it seems that it might have to come at the expense of the defence. That could be a move that’s worth it.
Jones acknowledged a need for his team to get into the end zone more, via his quarterback, as opposed to a defence for the ages or better-than-average special teams units. Collaros had just one game this season where he threw for more than one touchdown and that came against the cellar-dwelling, low-pressure Toronto Argonauts. Imagine if the Riders had an offence that averaged even two offensive touchdowns a game this year. Imagine if they’d managed two offensive touchdowns on Sunday against the Bombers. We could be looking at a drastically different scenario for them this week.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/11/13/oleary-riders-off-season-plans-expense-defence/

[jerrym]

BC Lions QB Jonathon Jennings intends to become a free agent. The Lions may be looking for a new top two in QBs.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jonathan Jennings has told the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCLions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BCLions</a> that he will hit the CFL free agent market. If Lulay retires, Lions looking at a whole new set of qb’s next year.</p>&mdash; Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DhaliwalSports/status/1067257969832734720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

After spending a large part of the Redblack season as a healthy scratch, 33 year old OL John Gott expects to become a free agent.

[jerrym]

Here's a look at which Bombers 25 and younger who are under contract or are eligible to become free agents.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/11/29/young-guns-2018-recap-contract-statuses/

[jerrym]

Below is a list of free agents for all teams.

https://www.cfl.ca/fa19/

[jerrym]

Jamie Nye takes a look at who he views are the best free agents available by position in the following article:

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/11/30/nye-free-agent-starting-lineup/

[jerrym]

John Hodge takes a look at who he thinks the Bombers should keep and who they should let go below:

http://3downnation.com/2018/12/01/blue-bomber-free-agents-stay-go/

[jerrym]

Jacksonville Jaguars, whose OC is former Argo HC Scott Milanovich, have had workouts for both Bo Levi Mitchell and Mike Reilly. The Broncos and Vikings have already worked out Mitchell.

[OV Argo]

Below is a list of free agents for all teams.

https://www.cfl.ca/fa19/


Love to see the Argos go after vet OG Shane Bergman from the Stamps (played college ball at Western) - one of the best in the league IMO; bet he re-signs with the Stumps though.

[gilthethrill]

Love to see the Argos go after vet OG Shane Bergman from the Stamps (played college ball at Western) - one of the best in the league IMO; bet he re-signs with the Stumps though.

I expect to see Edmonton DE Boatang come home to play for the Argos .

[Argo57]

I expect to see Edmonton DE Boatang come home to play for the Argos .

That would be great if it happened!

[OV Argo]

I expect to see Edmonton DE Boatang come home to play for the Argos .

Maybe; but i would bet on him sticking with the Esks; some players show appreciation & loyalty to the team that drafted them and/or gave them their opportunity to play in the pros; Argos had plenty of chances to draft Boateng, but their scouts missed the boat there.

[AngeloV]

I expect to see Edmonton DE Boatang come home to play for the Argos .

He's had at least 1 NFL workout, so we'll see if he's even in the CFL next season. I'd love to see him make big bucks down south.

[paulwoods13]

Maybe; but i would bet on him sticking with the Esks; some players show appreciation & loyalty to the team that drafted them and/or gave them their opportunity to play in the pros; Argos had plenty of chances to draft Boateng, but their scouts missed the boat there.

Some players.go where the money is. Oh wait, that's most players.

[jerrym]

Stampeder LB Alex Singleton, who won the 2017 Most Outstanding CFL Defensive Player, has had workouts with the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals this offseason.

[jerrym]

I expect to see Edmonton DE Boatang come home to play for the Argos .


Some players.go where the money is. Oh wait, that's most players.

Boateng has already had workouts with the LA Chargers and New York Jets, so the Argos would be in line behind them.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have been one of the most active teams in resigning potential free agents.



The Blue Bombers are down to 16 free agents and it’s been a productive off-season so far for general manager Kyle Walters, though the speculation is rising that it’s going to be difficult for the football club to keep All-Star safety Taylor Loffler in the fold.
https://nationalpost.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/blue-bombers-sign-hecht/wcm/1466f6d6-f9cb-4548-826e-8c851592d331



However the Bombers secondary will look somewhat different.



The Bombers’ secondary should look a whole lot different in 2019. Starting cornerback Chris Randle was already released, while Taylor Loffler, Brandon Alexander, Kevin Fogg, and Brendan Morgan are set to become free agents in less than two weeks. DB’s Anthony Gaitor, Chandler Fenner, Marcus Sayles, and Tyneil Cooper are already locked up for next season.
https://globalnews.ca/news/4917220/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-pair-of-former-nflers/

[jerrym]

The loss of the Eskimos top receivers to the NFL could also affect who Mike Reilly signs with.



If the Eskimos are going to convince quarterback Mike Reilly to stay in Edmonton, they’ll also have to assure him they will have someone for him to throw the ball to in 2019. ...

For the second straight off-season, the Eskimos have seen the league’s leading receiver head to the National Football League. D’haquille “Duke” Williams racked up close to 1,600 yards in 2018 as well as hauling in 11 touchdown passes for the Eskimos. Three days after Edmonton released him to pursue employment in the NFL Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills. It was a similar story in the 2017 off-season when CFL all-star Brandon Zylstra signed with the Minnesota Vikings after a season in which he led the Eskimos and the CFL with 1,687 receiving yards. ...

Following Williams’ departure, the Eskimos released receiver Bryant Mitchell who promptly signed a contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The Northwestern State product totalled 867 yards receiving in just 10 games and appeared poised to become one of the league’s dominant receivers.
And there’s no guarantee Derel Walker will be an Eskimo when training camp begins. The 27-year-old looked to be a sure bet to better the 1,589 receiving yards he produced in 2016 when he suffered a knee injury that ended his season on Labour Day. Walker might have an outside chance to get a shot south of the border again and follow Williams and Mitchell to the NFL – a move that could impact whether or not Reilly returns to Edmonton.

But the more likely scenario for the pending free agent receiver, Walker could be tempted to continue his career on the west coast if the B.C. Lions win the Reilly sweepstakes. Or follow Reilly wherever the franchise quarterback goes.
Reilly worked out for the Jacksonville Jaguars (https://3downnation.com/2018/12/14/jacksonville-jaguars-work-out-quarterback-mike-reilly/) in December, but he’s focused on the CFL. General manager Brock Sunderland has made extremely strong offers (https://3downnation.com/2019/01/23/eskimos-gm-brock-sunderland-has-made-extremely-strong-offers-to-mike-reilly/), however, nothing enticing enough for Reilly to ink an extension in Edmonton. Lions GM Ed Hervey has ties to Reilly from the time he traded and anointed him a No. 1 pivot for the first time in his career.
https://3downnation.com/2019/01/30/eskimos-elite-receivers-heading-south-again-and-how-that-effects-signing-mike-reilly/

[jerrym]

Chandler Fenner, whom the Bombers signed as a free agent last year after two years in BC, has renegotiated his contract downward from $130,000 to $110,000 in order to stay with the team. While he had 20 defensive tackles, he spent more time on special teams ending up with 24 ST tackles, second in the league. Being an International special teamer, has less value monetarily.

[AngeloV]

Chandler Fenner, whom the Bombers signed as a free agent last year after two years in BC, has renegotiated his contract downward from $130,000 to $110,000 in order to stay with the team. While he had 20 defensive tackles, he spent more time on special teams ending up with 24 ST tackles, second in the league. Being an International special teamer, has less value monetarily.

That's big money for a special teamer whether it's international or national. If he doesn't win a starters spot, my bet is he gets released.

[jerrym]

Here's a look at the Riders' potential free agents. Are there any you would like to see the Argos sign?

https://3downnation.com/2019/02/07/stay-or-go-examining-the-riders-potential-free-agents/

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have focused on resigning their offensive backfield in the lead-up to free agency.



The team extended receiver Jalen Saunders (https://www.cfl.ca/players/jalen-saunders/160191/) back in December. Their star pass-catcher Brandon Banks (https://www.cfl.ca/players/brandon-banks/152593/)inked a new deal in January and running back Alex Green (https://www.cfl.ca/players/alex-green/161429/) was putting pen to paper just a day later. All three were pending free agents and were eligible to test the waters on February 12.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and sure-handed pass-catcher Luke Tasker (https://www.cfl.ca/players/luke-tasker/160037/) were already under contract for next season, meaning the Tabbies’ offence, which was one of the most efficient in the CFL last year, is almost completely intact even before the market opens next week.

Even with season-ending injuries to Saunders and Banks – Saunders tore his ACL in September (https://www.cfl.ca/2018/09/05/report-ticats-saunders-miss-rest-season/) and Banks broke his clavicle in October (https://www.cfl.ca/2018/10/19/ticats-banks-sidelined-upper-body-injury/) – Hamilton still finished the regular season with a league-leading 405.6 yards of net offence per game. Banks and Tasker were second (1,423 yards) and fourth (1,104 yards) in receiving respectively, and Masoli was second to Mike Reilly (https://www.cfl.ca/players/mike-reilly/131087/) in passing with 5,209 yards.

“The Ticats did not want to break up the thing that they had going before the injuries,” CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson said. “Basically before the injuries they were the most dominant thing going offensively from week to week, hit or miss a bit here or there. Really, they were the best offence in the CFL.”

It’s the offensive line that remains for Hamilton to work on, their starting centre Mike Filer (https://www.cfl.ca/players/mike-filer/158939/) is a pending free agent and they lost tackle Ryker Matthews to the NFL. While Avery Jordan and Kelvin Palmer (https://www.cfl.ca/players/kelvin-palmer/160444/) (who signed an extension in January (https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/15/tiger-cats-extend-ol-kelvin-palmer/)) will likely line up at tackle, Filer will be high on the team’s priority list to get under contract for next season.
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/07/locked-ticats-offence-intact-ahead-free-agency/

[matthew]

TSN reporting Reilly is now a lion.

[CFLfan]

TSN reporting Reilly is now a lion.

3Down nation reporting that BLM to the ARgos for roughly the same $700k plus

[Argo57]

Jefferson signs with Winnipeg.

https://3downnation.com/2019/02/12/bombers-sign-dl-willie-jefferson/

[jerrym]

Former Argo Duron Carter, despite all his talents, hardly seems like an ideal replacement for Manny Arceneaux.



When Manny Arceneaux pulled up stakes and left town Friday to join the Saskatchewan Roughriders (https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/15/riders-sign-veteran-receiver-arceneaux/), he left behind a huge hole — both as a selfless, hard-working leader in the B.C. Lions’ locker room and nine years of outreach work (https://www.bigbrothersvancouver.com/inspiring-stories/manny-arceneaux-gives-back-big-way/) that made him a pillar of the community. But few remember that, in the beginning, The Manny Show was all about its singular star — every Manny for himself, so to speak — before the gregarious wide receiver matured as a person and a player. The performance shifted from being a one-man show to an inclusive and ensemble cast member as he embraced his responsibilities in a team-first culture.

Duron Carter only shrugs and flashes his megawatt smile when asked about his character, his reputation as a disruptive locker-room cancer, and always challenges the questioner to talk to any of the fans who’d encountered him face-to-face during his previous stops in Montreal, Saskatchewan and Toronto, or the teammates who always celebrated his on-field triumphs just as boisterously as he did.
https://vancouversun.com/sports/football/cfl/bc-lions/j-j-adams-curtains-fall-on-the-manny-show-but-lions-have-another-show-coming/wcm/a2d7874c-700f-4ba1-a7d2-1a34727399fc