Metchie and Smith

[Will]

Still see no mention of Metchie jumping ship over at 3 Down ?

Nothing becomes official for another couple weeks. We have seen in the past these kinds of "agreed to terms" deals fall through.

Elks radio colour guy Dave Campbell did confirm it this morning.
Argos, theoretically, have an opportunity to match.
I for one would've been much more comfortable having Blackburn learn for another year and them him taking over a S in 2026.

[bluto]

https://3downnation.com/2025/02/03/sour ... e-metchie/

Well shit.

[paulwoods13]

I'm pretty sure there is no "right to match." The original team gets a week (next week) to talk to their players before they officially sign with the new club, but the player is under no obligation to accept a "matched" offer.

[ARGO57]

I'm pretty sure there is no "right to match." The original team gets a week (next week) to talk to their players before they officially sign with the new club, but the player is under no obligation to accept a "matched" offer.

Once a player has negotiated and committed to another team they are gone, no sense in trying to circle back to try and retain them.
The incumbent team and player(s) have had several weeks to negotiate ahead of the free agency window but for whatever reason couldn’t come to an agreement…so be it.

[paulwoods13]

I'm pretty sure there is no "right to match." The original team gets a week (next week) to talk to their players before they officially sign with the new club, but the player is under no obligation to accept a "matched" offer.

Once a player has negotiated and committed to another team they are gone, no sense in trying to circle back to try and retain them.
The incumbent team and player(s) have had several weeks to negotiate ahead of the free agency window but for whatever reason couldn’t come to an agreement…so be it.

I basically agree with you, but I think there have been cases where teams encouraged their pending FAs to see what the market would pay for them, and then ended up signing the player after free agency opened. If they can't agree on the player's value ahead of time, let the player find out if he's overvaluing himself. I'm not saying that's going to happen in any of the cases of Toronto guys signing with Edm. They're gone.

[paulwoods13]

Total up the GC & play-off bonus money Argo players have earned the past 3 years.

It's $53,000, for those who've been with the team the past three seasons:

$23,000 2024
$7,000 2023
$23,000 2022
$7,000 2021 (probably -- that was in the previous CBA so the amount might have been a bit smaller)

[Will]

I'm pretty sure there is no "right to match." The original team gets a week (next week) to talk to their players before they officially sign with the new club, but the player is under no obligation to accept a "matched" offer.

Once a player has negotiated and committed to another team they are gone, no sense in trying to circle back to try and retain them.
The incumbent team and player(s) have had several weeks to negotiate ahead of the free agency window but for whatever reason couldn’t come to an agreement…so be it.

I basically agree with you, but I think there have been cases where teams encouraged their pending FAs to see what the market would pay for them, and then ended up signing the player after free agency opened. If they can't agree on the player's value ahead of time, let the player find out if he's overvaluing himself. I'm not saying that's going to happen in any of the cases of Toronto guys signing with Edm. They're gone.

As you allude to, those instances are rare.

[bluto]

Agreeing to terms with a new team but still going back to your former one... I could be misremembering, but it feels to me like it'll happen about once per year?

[OV Argo]

Total up the GC & play-off bonus money Argo players have earned the past 3 years.

It's $53,000, for those who've been with the team the past three seasons:

$23,000 2024
$7,000 2023
$23,000 2022
$7,000 2021 (probably -- that was in the previous CBA so the amount might have been a bit smaller)

Compared to the zero bonus dollars any EE player would have earned in that same period.

[AngeloV]

Total up the GC & play-off bonus money Argo players have earned the past 3 years.

It's $53,000, for those who've been with the team the past three seasons:

$23,000 2024
$7,000 2023
$23,000 2022
$7,000 2021 (probably -- that was in the previous CBA so the amount might have been a bit smaller)

Compared to the zero bonus dollars any EE player would have earned in that same period.

But even a 25k salary increase more than offsets bonus money from a Grey Cup, so you can’t fault them