2025-26 Off-Season Transactions

[ARGO57]

Whatever the reason, better that the Doxtater thing happened now so the team can get someone in camp who wants to be here. If it means o-line becomes a higher priority in the draft, so be it.

I’m with you, surely the new regime has studied film ad nauseam and knows where the priorities lie.
Barker has often stated building from both sides of the line of scrimmage is the way to go so wouldn’t shock if they go OL early.
We shall see.

[IssuesMcgee]

What Ravi is saying happens all the time though. How many trades have happened in the last few months?

All the time? Can you point to another high draft pick whom a team waited years to acquire, then agreed to release from his contract (not including guys who were allowed to go to the NFL)?

I grant that trades are rare, but the point here is that the Argos were under no obligation to acquiesce to a request for renegotiation (if that is truly what happened). The guy was under contract -- he could either fulfil the terms of his contract, or retire, or hold out from camp, or come to camp and raise a ruckus in an attempt to force his release. There was absolutely nothing that required the team to cut him loose in the winter, and effectively hand him to a rival. This is ridiculously bad asset management.

Sorry I'm late to reply, but yes teams let players walk when they could have traded for them. It happens more often than trades do.

If he didn't play well last year, being a high draft pick probably doesn't mean anything in trade negotiations.

[paulwoods13]

Sorry I'm late to reply, but yes teams let players walk when they could have traded for them. It happens more often than trades do.

If he didn't play well last year, being a high draft pick probably doesn't mean anything in trade negotiations.

Yes, trades are rare in this league. So are speedy releases of former top picks whom a team has waited years for. And again, I'm not saying there was a market for him in a trade. But I am saying there was no reason he had to be released. He was under contract, and the team had total control. If he didn't want to be here, he could have chosen to hold out of camp, and then been suspended. Both of those outcomes would be preferable to simply giving him away so a rival could sign him, IMO.

[IssuesMcgee]

Sorry I'm late to reply, but yes teams let players walk when they could have traded for them. It happens more often than trades do.

If he didn't play well last year, being a high draft pick probably doesn't mean anything in trade negotiations.

Yes, trades are rare in this league. So are speedy releases of former top picks whom a team has waited years for. And again, I'm not saying there was a market for him in a trade. But I am saying there was no reason he had to be released. He was under contract, and the team had total control. If he didn't want to be here, he could have chosen to hold out of camp, and then been suspended. Both of those outcomes would be preferable to simply giving him away so a rival could sign him, IMO.

If you can't trade him, then holding out because of sour grapes is a bad idea.

The CFL is a revolving door league. When a team holds out on players, it's a bad move because consensus and the media will always favour the players, whether the players are worth the pay raise or not.

Look at the case with James Wilder Jr. The team tried to remain firm but, eventually their hand was pretty much forced by the media to restructure his contract and give him a pay raise after he made a big stink. After all that, it turned out he wasn't worth the pay raise at all.

That's only one example but the point is, holding out on players just to spite them is not good for a CFL team's reputation. The teams have such little power that it's way too risky of a move.

There is a reason why teams don't hold out on players anymore.

[shatto]

It is reasonable to assume the team was unable to trade Doxtater. To hold on to a player who is going to be unhappy being with the team isn't good for the team, player or the league. This is a case where the team had to look at the bigger picture. IMO, management handled it correctly.

[paulwoods13]

If you can't trade him, then holding out because of sour grapes is a bad idea.

The CFL is a revolving door league. When a team holds out on players, it's a bad move because consensus and the media will always favour the players, whether the players are worth the pay raise or not.

Look at the case with James Wilder Jr. The team tried to remain firm but, eventually their hand was pretty much forced by the media to restructure his contract and give him a pay raise after he made a big stink. After all that, it turned out he wasn't worth the pay raise at all.

That's only one example but the point is, holding out on players just to spite them is not good for a CFL team's reputation. The teams have such little power that it's way too risky of a move.

There is a reason why teams don't hold out on players anymore.

"Holding out on players" is a new term. Players have "held out" of training camp in the past, but I've never heard of a team holding out on a player.

The reality of this particular situation is that there was a contract, signed by both parties, in place. If the player was unwilling to fulfil the contract he signed, the team had multiple choices: Try to trade him; do nothing, and see if he changes his mind later; release him. Assuming the first choice produced no takers, it was down to waiting or releasing him. IMO waiting benefits the team because it prevents an asset from being scooped up by a rival at least until a date when it makes more sense to release him (e.g. if he fails to report to camp and ignores a suspension).

If it's true that "teams have such little power," why would this particular team voluntarily abandon the power it had in this situation?

[OV Argo]

It is reasonable to assume the team was unable to trade Doxtater. To hold on to a player who is going to be unhappy being with the team isn't good for the team, player or the league. This is a case where the team had to look at the bigger picture. IMO, management handled it correctly.

I believe the current Argos Canadian O-line talent & depth was a factor here. They have proven vets in Hunter, Nicastro, newly signed Shepley, then also, Vandal (started on a GC winning team), Dankwah, Bosse, Coakes as potential back-ups - and all these guys likely to man only the 3 interior positions (the number of American O-lineman for TC suggests OT will be pencilled-in imports only). SO - new O-line coach Picard has seen these guys and could have said we can do without Doxtater, he didn't impress much anyways, and he sounds full of himself and not a team guy maybe ... ?

Sure, it would have been nice to get something in a trade, but hard to do without much real interest (if they made no effort there, then I agree with what Paul is saying).

[IssuesMcgee]

If you can't trade him, then holding out because of sour grapes is a bad idea.

The CFL is a revolving door league. When a team holds out on players, it's a bad move because consensus and the media will always favour the players, whether the players are worth the pay raise or not.

Look at the case with James Wilder Jr. The team tried to remain firm but, eventually their hand was pretty much forced by the media to restructure his contract and give him a pay raise after he made a big stink. After all that, it turned out he wasn't worth the pay raise at all.

That's only one example but the point is, holding out on players just to spite them is not good for a CFL team's reputation. The teams have such little power that it's way too risky of a move.

There is a reason why teams don't hold out on players anymore.

"Holding out on players" is a new term. Players have "held out" of training camp in the past, but I've never heard of a team holding out on a player.

The reality of this particular situation is that there was a contract, signed by both parties, in place. If the player was unwilling to fulfil the contract he signed, the team had multiple choices: Try to trade him; do nothing, and see if he changes his mind later; release him. Assuming the first choice produced no takers, it was down to waiting or releasing him. IMO waiting benefits the team because it prevents an asset from being scooped up by a rival at least until a date when it makes more sense to release him (e.g. if he fails to report to camp and ignores a suspension).

If it's true that "teams have such little power," why would this particular team voluntarily abandon the power it had in this situation?

Couple questions.

1. Do you think holding on to Doxtater in this case would be worth the negative press the Argos and the CFL overall would receive regarding pay and low opportunity for players?

2. Do you believe it would be worth conveying to players around the league that the Argos is a team where your career could hit a dead end if you ask for a pay raise?

[paulwoods13]

Couple questions.

1. Do you think holding on to Doxtater in this case would be worth the negative press the Argos and the CFL overall would receive regarding pay and low opportunity for players?

2. Do you believe it would be worth conveying to players around the league that the Argos is a team where your career could hit a dead end if you ask for a pay raise?

Negative press? This is a league that gets virtually no media coverage. And suddenly a no-name offensive lineman is going to become a cause celebre? Even 3DownNation would have a hard time stretching this out for more than a day.

I do not believe any player would look at this case as evidence that your career could hit a dead end if you ask for a pay raise. If anything, I believe veterans -- the only players who matter in such a situation -- would respect the Argos for spending their money on proven performers rather than caving in to a guy who did nothing to distinguish himself on the field after years of avoiding the CFL.

[IssuesMcgee]

Couple questions.

1. Do you think holding on to Doxtater in this case would be worth the negative press the Argos and the CFL overall would receive regarding pay and low opportunity for players?

2. Do you believe it would be worth conveying to players around the league that the Argos is a team where your career could hit a dead end if you ask for a pay raise?

Negative press? This is a league that gets virtually no media coverage. And suddenly a no-name offensive lineman is going to become a cause celebre? Even 3DownNation would have a hard time stretching this out for more than a day.

I do not believe any player would look at this case as evidence that your career could hit a dead end if you ask for a pay raise. If anything, I believe veterans -- the only players who matter in such a situation -- would respect the Argos for spending their money on proven performers rather than caving in to a guy who did nothing to distinguish himself on the field after years of avoiding the CFL.

I wouldn't call denying a player's request for a raise and then releasing him caving, but we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I also gave you a very clear example of how the Argos have received negative press for denying a player's demands and keeping him on the team. It happened. Like it actually happened.