Let the tampering begin

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This article was published 31/01/2024 (627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We’re just days away from the start of the CFL’s negotiation window, marking the final leg ahead of free agency opening in earnest on Feb. 13.

The negotiation window lasts from Feb. 4-11 and allows pending free agents to chat with other teams in the league about the possibility of signing a contract. The rule was created in 2020 as a way to curb the rampant tampering occurring each year from city to city, club to club.

Before the rule, it had become almost an annual ritual to see how quickly the first contract would be announced, which was usually within minutes, if not seconds, after the market officially opened. It was as if the two sides had just wrapped up a lightning-fast negotiation before filing it with the league office.

The new negotiation window eliminates that suspicion, while allowing players and teams to test uncharted waters before making any final decisions. If a team makes a formal offer to a player and it’s accepted, it must be registered with the CFL office and CFLPA, and the club cannot renege on it.

A player may sign multiple offers, but he has a two-hour period before free agency opens to accept a deal or become a free agent.

After the window closes, teams have 48 hours to speak exclusively with their own pending free agents again, providing one last opportunity to get pen to paper.

With so many high-profile names still without a contract, it should make for an interesting week. Will players get the clarity they desire or a reality check?

Only time will tell. Until then, let’s dive into the top stories from the week that was in the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) There is lots of intrigue around the potential crop of running backs set to hit the open market. Brady Oliveira (Wpg), A.J. Ouellette (Tor), Ka’Deem Carey (Cgy), Jamal Morrow (Sask) and Devonte Williams (Ott) are all pending free agents and the feeling is more than a couple could be available. You can add to the list William Stanback, who was released by the Alouettes on Tuesday.

2) I’m less confident this week that Oliveira and/or receiver Dalton Schoen — considered two of the league’s top potential free agents — will be back in Winnipeg next season. Not saying they won’t be, but it’s sounding like it’s going to take a lot of work to find common ground. The chance of both returning seems impossible at this point, but stranger things have happened, and as we get closer to free agency, that’s when the real cards get played.

3) You have to think with Oliveira not yet signed, and wanting to reset the market for running backs with an ask of around $250,000, that the Bombers have at least started to think of Plan B. Johnny Augustine is a nice relief tailback, but he’s not durable enough to be a reliable starter. I could see the Bombers having interest in Ouellette, who would come at a much cheaper price tag, likely around $160,000, and is a punishing north-south runner. I can also see both sides of this negotiation between the Bombers and Oliveira, but the hope among fans is they can find some common ground and reach a deal. Oliveira is a special player who lives his life clean, puts a ton of work into his craft and is a great ambassador for the city and province.

4) As for Schoen, he knows it’s his chance for a pay day. He certainly deserves it after leading the CFL in yards as a rookie and touchdowns in both of his seasons in the league. He did it making rookie money. He’s likely to warrant upwards of $300,000, and I just can’t imagine that money coming from Winnipeg. I do think the Bombers are willing to give him a sizeable raise, but they won’t be the highest bidder.

5) Just a few weeks after the Free Press reported Chris Streveler was eyeing a return to the CFL and the Bombers were front-runners to get him, the two reached a one-year deal on Wednesday. It’s pretty incredible the lasting mark Streveler left on the city during the club’s magical Grey Cup run in 2019 and that energy was once again in full effect among the faithful after the news of his signing went public. At a respectable $120,000, with the chance to earn additional cash through playing incentives, Streveler and his unique skillset will add a major wrinkle to Winnipeg’s offence, while leaving some money left over to use on other players.

6) Some other noteworthy signings this week: RB Dedrick Mills (Cgy), LB Wynton McManis (Tor), RB/PR Peyton Logan (Cgy), OL Chris Kolankowski (Wpg), DL Anthony Lanier (Sask), LB Josh Woods (B.C.); OL Philippe Gagnon (Mtl); OL Dariusz Bladek.

7) Get your calendars out, as the league has released some important dates for 2024. The CFL Draft will take place on April 30, with the Global Draft running the same day. The CFL combine, which will be in Winnipeg, is between March 19-24. Rookie camp gets underway on May 8 and main training camp begins May 12.

8) The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking for a new voice, replacing play-by-play man Michael Ball after two years in the booth. Harvard Media — the company that owns the radio station 620 CKRM, which broadcasts the games — and the Riders, in an internal memo Tuesday, announced the reasoning to staff as “an evolution of our Riders partnership,” adding the search for a new voice was underway before thanking Ball for his service. During his two-year tenure, Ball will most be remembered for his animated calls and stirring up plenty of controversy from his boisterous takes and willingness to debate any and all on social media. He’ll continue to host his weekday afternoon show when he returns to work Feb. 10, according to the memo.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton