‘Everything’s on the table’

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This article was published 21/11/2023 (712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jermarcus Hardrick can’t make up his mind.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers right tackle isn’t ruling out retirement after a second straight loss in the CFL’s championship game. This time, it was a 28-24 defeat in Hamilton against the Montreal Alouettes.

Hardrick, who has spent the past five years with Winnipeg, will be 34 by the time next season kicks off.

“I’m so hurt after that game that I don’t want to put my body through it again. As I get older, I want to be around my family, I don’t want to do this again,” said Hardrick at Tuesday’s end of season media availability at IG Field.

“And then, three minutes later, I’m thinking ‘‘I’m not f——— ending like that.’”

All five starters on the offensive line are pending free agents. Left tackle Stanley Bryant will be 38 next year and right guard Patrick Neufeld will be 35.

Hardrick was asked if he foresees at least one O-lineman from this dominant group retiring and his demeanour changed instantly.

After pausing for a few seconds, he muttered “I don’t know.”

Hardrick then turned around and left the locker room. Bryant wasn’t around to speak with reporters.

Hardrick isn’t the only one who needs time to mull over the future. It’s the same story for defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

“Everything’s on the table at the moment. Retirement is not at the top of my mind, but again, I’m going to re-evaluate everything and figure out what I want to do as far as playing or moving on,” said Jeffcoat, who turns 33 on Boxing Day.

“I’d love to come back to Winnipeg. I love it here, this is my home, and the only place I’ve played in Canada. But , the feelings need to be reciprocated and we’ll see probably after New Year’s.”

Not all players need to think it over. Linebacker Adam Bighill is under contract next season and the 35-year-old wants to finish it out.

“I haven’t played my last snap of football by any means,” Bighill said.

Receiver Rasheed Bailey, 30, will keep playing, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be in Winnipeg. He took a big pay cut to remain in Blue and Gold for 2023 — he made $135,000 in 2022 and agreed to less than $100,000 this season.

“Right now you feel it, and you don’t think it was worth it. But my life has changed in so many ways. The respect, the love, I’ve got brothers for the rest of my life,” said Bailey.

“The day before the game, I got up and talked in front of the team and I didn’t leave any meat on the bone. Last year, I felt like I could’ve said something, or I should’ve said something. But I said everything that I needed to say. For me, this is a different feeling. I didn’t leave anything, I gave all of it, and I don’t have any regrets.”

Bailey wants to stay put with the Bombers.

“I love playing for this city and I hope things can work out where I’m back, but I don’t control that,” said Bailey.

Before any decisions get made on players, the Bombers need to decide who the general manager will be. Kyle Walters currently doesn’t have a contract for next season.

The players are paying attention to the situation.

“The big thing people talk about is ‘Who’s going to be the GM here?’ You see what Kyle has done and I have a hard time believing he won’t be back,” said Jeffcoat.

“But, he does have to get a new contract. That comes first.”

BIGHILL, SCHOEN DON’T REGRET PLAYING

Adam Bighill and Dalton Schoen have no regrets about playing the Grey Cup while injured.

Bighill told the media in a post-game scrum that he was dealing with a calf tear. On Tuesday, he said it was a calf strain and that the injury’s recovery timeline is four to six weeks.

He took the field Sunday one week after suffering the setback in the Western Final.

“Hindsight is always 20/20, but yeah, I’m happy with being able to be out there and do my role,” said Bighill, who didn’t play the entire game and was limited to one tackle.

The veteran linebacker also wanted to clear the air on what happened on the 23-yard touchdown Als quarterback Cody Fajardo threw to Cole Spieker in the third quarter with Bighill in coverage.

“If you guys in the media are maybe a little bit more savvy watching football than maybe your average person, you know that we don’t ask linebackers to cover receivers vertically down the field,” Bighill said. “Let’s just say I was trying to cover up and help out. Was that my man in man-to-man coverage? No. But it’s OK, there was a miscommunication that Montreal did a good job of exploiting, coaching-wise.”

Schoen hadn’t practised at all since an ankle injury on Oct. 6 knocked him out of action. The all-star receiver was held to three catches for 36 yards.

“I wouldn’t have put myself out there without feeling like I was good enough to help this team win, go in there and make plays,” Schoen said.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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