Bombers fans need not panic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2022 (1004 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The CFL recently released the lists of each of its nine team’s pending free agents, marking the official start to the off-season.

As is often the case, each list had several names on it, with an average of 27 players per club set to hit the open market come Feb. 14. Some lists have shrunk over the last few days, as teams sign the players they’re eager to have back, while some others deemed not to be part of next year’s plan have been given an early release, providing a head start to see what else might be out there.

Such is life in the CFL, where one-year deals have become the norm since they were introduced years ago, making continuity from one year to the next a real challenge. That might change this season, however, now that the league’s new collective bargaining agreement has a clause in it that gives players the rare opportunity to sign for guaranteed money.

Per the CBA, once a player has finished his rookie contract, he is eligible to receive a guaranteed 50 per cent of the base salary on the final season of a multi-year deal. The hope is this will encourage players to re-sign with their respective club for longer term, while also giving the teams an upper hand on the competition when trying to bring back key pieces.

There are several examples to point to already, including Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback and back-to-back CFL most outstanding player, Zach Collaros, who inked a three-year extension in October. Teams are never going to be able to bring everyone back, but hopefully this brings some added stability to the league, at least when it comes to building a roster.

What effect this might have on the CFL will take days, weeks and perhaps even months to find out. But rather than look too far ahead, let’s take a look back at the week that was in the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) Just to give a better idea about the number of pending free agents, Ottawa had the most, with 40, while Winnipeg and Hamilton each had the lowest, at 23. The others are Saskatchewan (32), Montreal (28), Toronto (26), Calgary (25), B.C. (25) and Edmonton (24).

2) For those panicking that a new deal for Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea hasn’t been reached despite reports to the contrary, fear not. I expect a deal to be finalized by the end of the week, meaning as early as Thursday morning. The term is three years.

3) While some might look at the reports and wonder what, if any, snag occurred over those days, the answer really isn’t all that exciting. As I reported last week, O’Shea is incredibly detailed, and these negotiations were going to reflect that and therefore take some time. I actually would have been surprised had a deal been done so quickly.

4) Lions receiver Bryan Burnham sent shockwaves across the CFL with his announcement this week that he’s retiring. Burnham was a human highlight reel over his eight years in B.C. and while some suspected he might hang them up after this past season, his departure feels like a significant loss to the league. Burnham said his decision to leave football was to spend more time with his family, which is easy to support. I give a lot of credit to Burnham for sticking with one team over his career despite strong interest from around the CFL. The Bombers tried to sway him to come to Winnipeg a couple times, but it was only ever the Lions for the 32-year-old New Jersey native.

5) The Ottawa Redblacks have named Bob Dyce their new head coach, shedding the interim title he had after taking over midseason after Paul LaPolice was let go in October. Dyce seems like an excellent hire. While I don’t know him personally, everything I’ve heard about the Winnipeg native is positive. He’s a passionate coach, a strong leader, great at communication, easy to get along with and knows his football. You need all these elements to succeed in today’s CFL, and after a couple down seasons in Ottawa, this could be the start of better days.

6) Dyce didn’t waste time assembling his staff and he’s added some strong supporting pieces. Khari Jones is the team’s new offensive co-ordinator, while Barron Miles is now in charge of the defence. Both Jones and Miles were let go by the Montreal Alouettes just weeks into last season. What’s also cool is Dyce, Jones and Miles are all Black, making it the first time that a team has had a Black head coach, OC and DC since 2012, when Saskatchewan employed Corey Chamblin, Dyce and Richie Hall.

7) What I loved about Dyce’s ensuing press conferences was how he said the Redblacks are ready to win now. Nothing is more bizarre than when a team, in a nine-club league, claims to be in a building year. Even if that’s the case — and we certainly saw it in Winnipeg, in the early years of O’Shea — there’s really no point in saying it out loud. Speaking of rebuilds, wonder how the Edmonton Elks will do next season in year two of Chris Jones.

8) On the Elks, my bet is they’ll have some extra money to spend this winter, because I can see Lawler heading back to Winnipeg. The Bombers almost got Lawler last year ahead of the trade deadline, but Edmonton pulled the deal at the last minute and then the league’s highest-paid receiver got hurt. Indeed, the grass isn’t always greener.

9) Someone has to tell Cody Fajardo to stop doing interviews. Every time the soon-to-be free-agent quarterback opens his mouth he comes up with some of the most outlandish sound bites, the kind of stuff that has to turn off any potential team that might be interested. He was on a Saskatchewan YouTube show this past week lamenting that he hadn’t heard from the Roughriders, which he called unfortunate, and that he wanted some clarity on what was happening in Saskatchewan. I’d argue if he hasn’t heard anything then he has his answer, not to mention the Roughriders were pretty clear where he stood when they benched him for the final two games of the regular season, both of which were must-wins.

10) Fajardo then mentioned that he’s given his agent a wish list of teams he wanted to play for, which is just plain weird to say when you’re still under contract. Then again, probably shouldn’t be surprised, as the 30-year-old said, shortly after being benched late last year, that he just wanted to go somewhere he’s wanted. Meanwhile, the Riders were fighting for their playoff lives. At this point, that wish list should be any team willing to sign him.

11) Speaking of the Roughriders, if you want a good idea of just how far this franchise has fallen, look no further than its search for a new offensive co-ordinator. The list of people declining interviews or pulling themselves from contention — Markus Howell, Marc Mueller and Khari Jones, to name a few — is seemingly longer than the lineup of prospective hires. Such is the reality of joining a staff, led by head coach Craig Dickenson, that likely has about eight games next season to get things right. When your head coach has just one year left on his deal, with the very real potential of a massive overhaul coming, who would want to join that sinking ship? There are reports that the Roughriders are willing to give the “right hire” a two-year contract, but it’s looking less like they’ll land Mr. Right and instead have to settle for Mr. Right Now.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton