Sayles returns to Winnipeg in black and gold of Ticats

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2023 (849 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Casey Sayles understands professional football is a business and that there’s only so much money to go around.

His wife gets it, too, but that doesn’t mean she was happy.

Sayles spent the past two seasons playing on the defensive line for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before signing a two-year deal with Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the winter.

The Bombers retained 47 players from last season, but Sayles is the biggest one to get away.

“I was kind of getting that feeling that Winnipeg wasn’t going to sign me back going into the free agency period. It kind of was what it was with the American defensive tackles here in the last few years since ‘19,” Sayles said Thursday evening shortly after landing in Winnipeg for Friday night’s game against the Bombers.

“I was next in line and kind of got that vibe, but it is what it is. I think my wife was a lot more mad than I was about signing in Hamilton. She obviously also built relationships here with the wives and girlfriends here.”

Sayles was an unheralded, but important piece for the Bombers. The 6-4, 282 pounder from Omaha, Neb., is coming off a career year in which he registered 36 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles in 18 starts. He also played lights out at last November’s Grey Cup as he had six tackles and a sack.

Hamilton clearly took notice, as they agreed to pay the 27-year-old $200,000 annually.

“Casey, right from the time he got here he was a great teammate. He filled a lot of needs,” said Bombers defensive tackle Jake Thomas.

“Last year, I’d say he was a big piece for us just because he was able to play defensive end and defensive tackle so he created that added depth along the defensive line. He’s a really good player and Hamilton really wanted him.”

Sayles arrived in Winnipeg after receiving looks from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Pittsbugh Steelers. He also played in the AAF and XFL. Sayles, an Ohio University product, broke into the league at the same time as Ricky Walker, who’s now the person tasked with filling his shoes.

“You know, realistically, if I didn’t make the team, I was probably going to be done. Ted (Goveia, Bombers assistant general manager) gave me the opportunity to sign here in ‘21 and I know he had scouted me I think when I was in the NFL in 2018. So, they gave me the opportunity and I’m glad I’m still playing,” said Sayles.

“I’m very, very thankful for them giving me that chance in ‘21 and I took advantage of it and now here we are.”

Bombers right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick lives in Lincoln, Neb., which is only 45 minutes away from Sayles. The two close friends will now get a chance to go head to head.

“He shot me a text the other day, but it’s going to be fun to go against him,” said Sayles. “Realistically, it’s just going to feel like a faster practice.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.