2023/2024 CFL (Non Bombers) Off Season News

[Mike]

I don’t know why people think this is an either or situation with Brady and Schoen. Why do people think we’re going to be SO tight to the cap?

We pay Collaros and Lawler premiums for their position and other than that, we probably don’t have anyone making top 3 money at their spot. MAYBE Nichols?

Willie/Jeffcoat/Alexander/Bighill/Bryant/Hardrick/Neufeld are the “big” veteran earners and at this point, their deals should be getting cheaper every year not more expensive. Not to mention there’s the very obvious need to get a bit younger and faster next year, I’m sure the only way we’re going to be in a position to make a cap crunch work is if we somehow miraculously get Dru Brown back. 

[Blue In BC]

On 2023-12-27 at 1:00 PM, Booch said:

Other teams start American tackles with import backs...I dont recall a full-time starting guard being import with Harris and Bo tho

 

We don't even need a Canadian back to meet ratio as it is either...we just have chosen to fill that spot with a canadian

Yes and no. It's tied in to what positional players we want to use spots for DI's.  Augustine has a role on ST's as well. All part of the balancing act.  We should be looking at a different option than McCrae IMO.  While he's not a bad player, he doesn't really excel at RB, receiver or returner.

If we lose any of Oliveria, Augustine or Grant we might see different skill sets in among the choices for our DI's.  Obviously IMO we should be looking at the whole import FB as a current choice. That would open up options for our back ups.

[17to85]

3 hours ago, Mike said:

Willie/Jeffcoat/Alexander/Bighill/Bryant/Hardrick/Neufeld are the “big” veteran earners and at this point, their deals should be getting cheaper every year not more expensive

Should... but do we think that will happen?

[wbbfan]

5 hours ago, Mike said:

I don’t know why people think this is an either or situation with Brady and Schoen. Why do people think we’re going to be SO tight to the cap?

We pay Collaros and Lawler premiums for their position and other than that, we probably don’t have anyone making top 3 money at their spot. MAYBE Nichols?

Willie/Jeffcoat/Alexander/Bighill/Bryant/Hardrick/Neufeld are the “big” veteran earners and at this point, their deals should be getting cheaper every year not more expensive. Not to mention there’s the very obvious need to get a bit younger and faster next year, I’m sure the only way we’re going to be in a position to make a cap crunch work is if we somehow miraculously get Dru Brown back. 

Even in that group I don’t think ba has ever been paid even 100k. * I checked and we actually gave him a raise for last year and he made 101k. Which was the 17th highest in the league. Leaving him as our only db in the top 20. I think he basically flip flopped pay cheques with rose. 
Jeffcoats price was down a bit and tbh the de market is up. Plus he’s on the ir for one or two 6 game stints any way lol. 
 I don’t think biggie has made elite money since he took that huge pay cut to stay. *he’s actually 3rd, but far below what he used to make and that’s still a lot below what the market will be this off season. 
 Big Stan at 8th highest and yoshi at 20th. Ham has two in the top 4 3 in the top 10. Tor 2 in the top 7.  
 
Honestly our pay to the top guys like you said is way below market average, the issue is we are just really old. No ones got their best football a head of them. Our changes will stem from that, we won’t be hard pressed financially or cap wise. 
 Zach could always renegotiate to stay a drop to 450-500k pretty easy too. I could see biggie possibly taking another team friendly deal to do less of a role as needed too. 

[Fatty Liver]

5 hours ago, Mike said:

I don’t know why people think this is an either or situation with Brady and Schoen. Why do people think we’re going to be SO tight to the cap?

We pay Collaros and Lawler premiums for their position and other than that, we probably don’t have anyone making top 3 money at their spot. MAYBE Nichols?

Willie/Jeffcoat/Alexander/Bighill/Bryant/Hardrick/Neufeld are the “big” veteran earners and at this point, their deals should be getting cheaper every year not more expensive. Not to mention there’s the very obvious need to get a bit younger and faster next year, I’m sure the only way we’re going to be in a position to make a cap crunch work is if we somehow miraculously get Dru Brown back. 

You have to assume Walters is already spending to the limits of the cap, so any savings or diversion of funds to others has to come out of existing players pockets.  The vets you mentioned may no longer be the highest paid at their position, but at one time a few of them set the higher end of the pay scale, so they ain't playing for bargain wages.  The cap has barely increased over the past 4 years, so extra money gets spread thinly among vets. like B.A. , Bailey and Woli. who deserve a slight bump for sticking with the program.  Walters won't be asking underpaid vets. to take a paycut to accommodate another player making bling at the top end of their positional payscale.

[Booch]

8 hours ago, Blue In BC said:

Yes and no. It's tied in to what positional players we want to use spots for DI's.  Augustine has a role on ST's as well. All part of the balancing act.  We should be looking at a different option than McCrae IMO.  While he's not a bad player, he doesn't really excel at RB, receiver or returner.

If we lose any of Oliveria, Augustine or Grant we might see different skill sets in among the choices for our DI's.  Obviously IMO we should be looking at the whole import FB as a current choice. That would open up options for our back ups.

we crapped the bed all yr on how we used and allocated our DI's

 

10 hours ago, Mike said:

I don’t know why people think this is an either or situation with Brady and Schoen. Why do people think we’re going to be SO tight to the cap?

We pay Collaros and Lawler premiums for their position and other than that, we probably don’t have anyone making top 3 money at their spot. MAYBE Nichols?

Willie/Jeffcoat/Alexander/Bighill/Bryant/Hardrick/Neufeld are the “big” veteran earners and at this point, their deals should be getting cheaper every year not more expensive. Not to mention there’s the very obvious need to get a bit younger and faster next year, I’m sure the only way we’re going to be in a position to make a cap crunch work is if we somehow miraculously get Dru Brown back. 

and yes.....we have 1 player basically at top of the salary food chain for his position (ZC) and thats it...a couple others in the upper echelon (top 3-5 at their position) but also not breaking the bank either...we have the SMS to sign who we want without issue

Some of our vets who are top wagers on our squad if re-upped...will re-up for similar....if not a pittance more....some could be back for less too...they wont break the bank ...it worked last yr and easily will this yr

2 guys will need substantial bumps..Schoen and BO....Schoen u get done, and I sure BO knows what the max should be...anywhere, and you offer him it...or close to it within our cap and if it doesn't float his boat....so be it...he's the easiest position to replace on an entry level and have that player be impactful even as a rookie

We also will be shedding some foot soldier higher salaries....or better be....and also some vets who don't fit the plan for 2025...Thomas...Kolo..Briggs...JA....Darby...

We also need to draft actual players who can step in and be productive on offence/dfence and stray away from this "special team" only player....that mantra has now got us in a bit of a hole as we lacked adequate in game, and even short term injury coverage, and also the fact our ST unit was one of worst in league should also make change inevitable. Any athlete who is pro calibre and a starter before the CFL and entering the league can play special teams...if they cant...why they even here?

The player who obviously isnt pro calibre....but.....could contribute on ST is a poor draft strategy....look at past 10 yrs of drafts of the players other teams picked up, that we passed on who contribute as actual producing player, just to grab a guy who jumped out on teams, but offered nothing much more than that....after our first couple high round picks...we have brought in a lot of slugs and plugs....

 

 

[GCn20]

I see absolutely no reason we can't keep both Schoen and Brady providing other GMs don't get ridiculous and blow up the CFL pay scale to get one of them like Jones did a couple years ago with Lawler.

[Mark H.]

19 minutes ago, Booch said:

The player who obviously isnt pro calibre....but.....could contribute on ST is a poor draft strategy....look at past 10 yrs of drafts of the players other teams picked up, that we passed on who contribute as actual producing player, just to grab a guy who jumped out on teams, but offered nothing much more than that....after our first couple high round picks...we have brought in a lot of slugs and plugs....

To a certain extent, sure.  But the Bombers have drafted plenty of good players - some of which were lost in FA or retired:

Oliveira, Augustine, O'Leary Orange, Desjarlais, Eli, Goossen, Chungh, Wolitarsky, Thomas, Dobson, et. al.

[Brandon]

11 hours ago, Mike said:

I don’t know why people think this is an either or situation with Brady and Schoen. Why do people think we’re going to be SO tight to the cap?

It happens on here every off season,  a few members think that the Bombers have zero cap space meanwhile every other team in the league has infinite money to sign every free agent. 

[Booch]

2 hours ago, Mark H. said:

To a certain extent, sure.  But the Bombers have drafted plenty of good players - some of which were lost in FA or retired:

Oliveira, Augustine, O'Leary Orange, Desjarlais, Eli, Goossen, Chungh, Wolitarsky, Thomas, Dobson, et. al.

yeah...their first and second...the odd 3rd pick u mentioned.....you should nail those and have starters from there...its after that our penchant to draft 1 dimensional guys....and that dimensuon is no real chance of being a contributor outside of teams...we have a glut of that now....but on roster no ral depth behind any starter...Augustine wasnt drafted either.....by anyone actually...was a free agent pick up after the draft by 2 teams before we scooped him off the scrap pile

[Mark H.]

10 minutes ago, Booch said:

yeah...their first and second...the odd 3rd pick u mentioned.....you should nail those and have starters from there...its after that our penchant to draft 1 dimensional guys....and that dimensuon is no real chance of being a contributor outside of teams...we have a glut of that now....but on roster no ral depth behind any starter...Augustine wasnt drafted either.....by anyone actually...was a free agent pick up after the draft by 2 teams before we scooped him off the scrap pile

Yep, I know. Just like pushing back on your hyperbole once in a blue moon.

[BigBlue]

On 2023-12-24 at 4:53 PM, bluedawg said:

There is 0 chance Dru is back in Winnipeg if they plan to pay either of Schoen or Brady. With raises kicking in this year for Lawler and Demski plus re-signing young pieces to bigger deals, there's 0% chance they have the money to pay Dru to backup Zach for 2 more years. Dru will likely look for the biggest possible deal and I doubt a team gives him more than 1 year if they pay him well since he's unproven as a start/outside of the Bombers' nest

"Dru will likely look for the biggest possible deal " how can you read his mind? know his intentions?

Brown has said in public he loves being mentored by zc ... that is very big

 

[Mike]

10 hours ago, BigBlue said:

"Dru will likely look for the biggest possible deal " how can you read his mind? know his intentions?

Brown has said in public he loves being mentored by zc ... that is very big

 

Do you know what the word “likely” means? 

[Jesse]

11 hours ago, BigBlue said:

"Dru will likely look for the biggest possible deal " how can you read his mind? know his intentions?

Brown has said in public he loves being mentored by zc ... that is very big

 

And what did Zach do when he was young and in Dru's position?

Did he stay in Toronto to be mentored by Ricky Ray?

[SpeedFlex27]

21 hours ago, Brandon said:

It happens on here every off season,  a few members think that the Bombers have zero cap space meanwhile every other team in the league has infinite money to sign every free agent. 

No, just the Argos.

[coach17]

Dane Evans retires.

Veteran QB Dane Evans retires from CFL - 3DownNation

[JCon]

20 minutes ago, coach17 said:

Dane Evans retires.

Veteran QB Dane Evans retires from CFL - 3DownNation

I thought he retired before the 2021 Grey Cup? Who knew. 

[SpeedFlex27]

17 minutes ago, JCon said:

I thought he retired before the 2021 Grey Cup? Who knew. 

He just couldn't handle the pressures of being a starter. He was happy being a backup to Vernon Adams. It's too bad as he had some talent but I never saw the Eye of the Tiger with him. I guess not everyone can be like Matt Dunigan who loved the spotlight & still does. 

[Fatty Liver]

41 minutes ago, coach17 said:

Dane Evans retires.

Veteran QB Dane Evans retires from CFL - 3DownNation

Wow, seems like a drastic course of action at age 30, figured he would eventually catch on as a #1 QB somewhere if he was patient.

[SpeedFlex27]

2 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Wow, seems like a drastic course of action at age 30, figured he would eventually catch on as a #1 QB somewhere if he was patient.

I read his retirement statement. Two things I took from what he said. One, he was fed up playing. Two, he wants to coach. He had lost the desire to play. The guy had many setbacks as a starter & I think it took all the fun out of playing for him. It sucked the life out of him as a player. 

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I read his retirement statement. Two things I took from what he said. One, he was fed up playing. Two, he wants to coach. He had lost the desire to play. The guy had many setbacks as a starter & I think it took all the fun out of playing for him. It sucked the life out of him as a player. 

That’s an interesting thing. No desire to play but deep desire to coach. Kinda dinwiddie Esq. 

 it’s a tough thing to have that dream since likely middle school or earlier and make it all the way to the pros, think you have your foot in the door as a starter then collapse. 
 

Wonder where he will coach. It’s gonna to change the market for back up QBs for sure too. Either way best of luck to him. We sure need fresh blood in offensive coaching up here. 

[17to85]

Just goes to show how badly he was broken in the 2019 grey cup.

[JohnnyAbonny]

On 2023-12-31 at 3:26 PM, SpeedFlex27 said:

No, just the Argos.

If the Argos and to a lesser extent BC have ever had a salary cap, it’s news to me

2 hours ago, coach17 said:

Dane Evans retires.

Veteran QB Dane Evans retires from CFL - 3DownNation

Honestly, the Jeffs broke his career in the 2019 GC. It’s just been a matter of time since then. 

[SpeedFlex27]

15 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Just goes to show how badly he was broken in the 2019 grey cup.

I still remember Jim barker trying to calm him down on the sidelines of the 2019 Grey Cup as he totally melted down. Nothing Barker could say or do calmed him down. That was damned epic. 

[GCn20]

10 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Wow, seems like a drastic course of action at age 30, figured he would eventually catch on as a #1 QB somewhere if he was patient.

He has mental health issues that are just too big a red flag for teams.