2024/2025 CFL (non-Bomber) Off-Season Thread

[Tracker]

I am not saying we should go chasing quarterbacks but there has to be concern about Collaros, considering his degrading performances in the past 2-3 years. I hope that Walters has a viable plan B in case Collaros gets off to another poor start and/or gets dinged again.

[wbbfan]

12 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Kelly redid his contract a bit though right? And now is less than Zach. Or am I crazy?

I can’t even keep track lol.

58 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Depends on which source you read.  Rourke should be the highest now but Kelly & Collaros flip flop between 2 & 3.  Before Rourke came back there were multiple articles saying Kelly was the highest paid player but you could also find articles saying it was Zach. 

In Aug 2023, 3DN had Kelly making $615k in 2024 for the (then) top spot but in May, they had him at #2 making 584k.  Take your pick on which is most accurate. 😂

Toronto Argos make QB Chad Kelly highest-paid player in CFL with three-year contract worth $1.865 million - 3DownNation

The CFL's 15 highest-paid quarterbacks for the 2024 season - 3DownNation

appreciate the break down. Guess we will wait for the 2025 article and hope for the best. Honestly that’s better transparency that we used to get from the league so I’ll take it. 
 

11 minutes ago, WinnipegGordo said:

100k of Kelly's salary was supposed to be marketing money.

I have a feeling he's not getting paid out for that. 

lol no kidding yikes 

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

I am not saying we should go chasing quarterbacks but there has to be concern about Collaros, considering his degrading performances in the past 2-3 years. I hope that Walters has a viable plan B in case Collaros gets off to another poor start and/or gets dinged again.

Plan b, maybe even A should be bring back Dru brown next off season. 

[kelownabomberfan]

Tom Clements stepping down as Packers' QBs coach after working with Favre, Rodgers and Love

[Tracker]

8 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Tom Clements stepping down as Packers' QBs coach after working with Favre, Rodgers and Love

So..... it was a Love/hate situation?

[Pete]

2 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Did he get a raise this off season though? Pretty sure hes the 3rd highest with rourke now. 

The modern argos team has always been shrewd. They haven't chased guys who want top dollar. But this seems different. They're moving young guys who aren't crazy expensive. I think boochs' notion that they are reving up to hit one or a couple specific FAs hard is possible. Maybe the new owners have sent down a mandate to be as cheap as possible as well. Or maybe they have some other FA of their own they they plan to give kramdi esq money to. 

Idr ever seeing a team this active in trades in the whole of an off season. This is still weeks before free agency. 

they moved Orimoade who was the highest paid dlineman last year, and Dejon Allen who was one of the highest paid import olineman.  and added two canadians Judge and Varga to lock down a  cdn linebacker position.  Which should freee up enough cash to sign Mcmanus.

They seem to have a stable of olinemen and have always seemed to find dlinemen ,,,maybe we should have gone after their scouting guys!

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Tom Clements stepping down as Packers' QBs coach after working with Favre, Rodgers and Love

Just in time to ****** the OC job with the Bombers at a 747% discount!

FFS  s n a t c h is a dirty word??? 

I forget....but maybe it is!

Edited Tuesday at 11:59 PM by Fatty Liver

[bb1]

15 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Just in time to ****** the OC job with the Bombers at a 747% discount!

FFS  s n a t c h is a dirty word??? 

I forget....but maybe it is!

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, Tracker said:

I am not saying we should go chasing quarterbacks but there has to be concern about Collaros, considering his degrading performances in the past 2-3 years. I hope that Walters has a viable plan B in case Collaros gets off to another poor start and/or gets dinged again.

They have Wilson and Strev coming off an injury.    Dolegala also.  I would be shocked if they spend any money on a back up this year.  

[M.O.A.B.]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

They have Wilson and Strev coming off an injury.    Dolegala also.  I would be shocked if they spend any money on a back up this year.  

I'll dump Dolegala and pickup Tommy Stevens (CGY). 

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2025-01-12 at 7:17 PM, wbbfan said:

Imo 125k max for holm. Pickett was 170, the next top tier was 140-50k. Even that is a push for holm for me. I’d prefer to let him walk unless under 120k. 
 I’d want ford for 150-160k. Might go up to 170k for more than a year. That’s highest paid db range. Cus he’s young and Canadian with tons more upside still. 
I could see some one giving him 200k though. Maybe even more. 

Hamilton where family is. Or Edmonton where his brother is. 

[bluto]

16 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Why are the argos having a fire sale? 

Pretty much an annual event around here. 

You do well -> Players deserve a raise for it -> They can't all get one here -> Churn that roster

 

Sad about Adeboboye. He and his family are big favorites here. Local boy who plays a big role on Teams and subs in at Runningback to great effect. Goes to every GTA area football fundraiser/school/tournament. Delightful people.

But Holley is in the NFL, Brinkman and Ceresna are FAs so we needed more D-Linemen on the roster. I hope Andre Carter comes up here and does a job for us. And with the makeup of our RB rotation being American, it just doesn't seem like a place we can have a National.

 

To everything churn, churn, churn,

There is a season churn, churn, churn...

[rebusrankin]

Toronto may churn their roster but its hard to argue with the results.

[bigg jay]

10 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

I'll dump Dolegala and pickup Tommy Stevens (CGY). 

If you are looking for a short yardage guy sure but he's thrown a total of 20 passes in 3 years (only 2 passes last year).  Nobody outside of Calgary has any idea if he can actually throw the ball.

[Bigblue204]

15 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Plan b, maybe even A should be bring back Dru brown next off season. 

I'd be shocked if Ott doesn't lock him up before then.

[wbbfan]

9 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

If you are looking for a short yardage guy sure but he's thrown a total of 20 passes in 3 years (only 2 passes last year).  Nobody outside of Calgary has any idea if he can actually throw the ball.

Yeah, no interest for me in stevens. If we were gonna drop dole a few other league vet qbs are pending free agents and would be much better. That said, I think we see the same QB room we entered the year with. Maybe we add 1 rookie, thats it imo. Unless some thing crazy happens. 

2 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

I'd be shocked if Ott doesn't lock him up before then.

Imo the window to lock up QBs is between the GC and Free agency. Doesn't seem like many extensions get done out side of that window. At that point, it will almost certainly be in Browns best interest to hit FA. And this why we see soo much turn over in qbs now. Either guys get over paid early, and if they don't live up get booted out. Or they go to market, or the are a success. But most aren't successful qbs on winning teams. If I was brown, and they didnt give him a good extension before this season starts, Its FA or bust. Short of rourke money. 

[bluto]

1 hour ago, rebusrankin said:

Toronto may churn their roster but its hard to argue with the results.

I've come to embrace it as how the Good Ship Argo sails these past few years.

We do it throughout camp, the season and still churn it year round. The brain-trust (which I guess is just Murphy now? IDK?) in conjunction with the coaches review the guys on the bottom half of our roster and if they have the chance to be a frontline starter we keep them if we can (we get poached a lot) and if they are just OK or for whatever reason they aren't a fit or up to standard, they're wished all the best in their future endeavors. 

Sometimes it looks weird like when we drop our leading receiver during a QB suspension.

Other times you go through enough players that you get a big hit like a Holley or a Stiggers.

From a fan perspective you can never get too attached, but boy howdy it keeps your interest level up in every name on the team sheet.

[Booch]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Yeah, no interest for me in stevens. If we were gonna drop dole a few other league vet qbs are pending free agents and would be much better. That said, I think we see the same QB room we entered the year with. Maybe we add 1 rookie, thats it imo. Unless some thing crazy happens. 

Imo the window to lock up QBs is between the GC and Free agency. Doesn't seem like many extensions get done out side of that window. At that point, it will almost certainly be in Browns best interest to hit FA. And this why we see soo much turn over in qbs now. Either guys get over paid early, and if they don't live up get booted out. Or they go to market, or the are a success. But most aren't successful qbs on winning teams. If I was brown, and they didnt give him a good extension before this season starts, Its FA or bust. Short of rourke money. 

A guy also has to want to be locked up somewhere....maybe he intended to leave for 2 yrs...gethis dollars up...get valuable starter play time and come back here in 2026 ...in his prime...and hopefully dropping dimes....there is that angle too

[ShyGuy]

17 hours ago, Tracker said:

I am not saying we should go chasing quarterbacks but there has to be concern about Collaros, considering his degrading performances in the past 2-3 years. I hope that Walters has a viable plan B in case Collaros gets off to another poor start and/or gets dinged again.

in 2022 and 2023 Collaros had a great regular season (MOP in 2022 and then Brady and him were probably MOPa and MOPb out of the West in 2023) and faltered in the playoffs. Last year he had a REALLY rough start as everything seemed to go bad for the Bombers, especially on offense, and then he seemed to pull it together... wasn't much competition for QBs in the West but Trever Harris got the all-star nod and post injury him and Collaros were very close stats wise. He then had BY FAR his best playoff game as a Bomber in the West Final, and then laid an egg the last 35 minutes of the Grey Cup.

[Goalie]

15 hours ago, Brandon said:

They have Wilson and Strev coming off an injury.    Dolegala also.  I would be shocked if they spend any money on a back up this year.  

None even exist. It’s easy for ppl to say go after a QB but none actually exist that are better than the ones we have. Seriously I see Tommy Stevens name out there? That dudes a FB not a QB. He sucked in Calgary. Who is out there? MBT? Nope. Fajardo? Nope. This Kevin Glenn backup that existed 10 years ago don’t exist today. MBT and Faj were the 2 available and they were dealt and signed already. 

Edited Wednesday at 04:10 PM by Goalie

[bigg jay]

10 minutes ago, Goalie said:

None even exist. It’s easy for ppl to say go after a QB but none actually exist that are better than the ones we have. Seriously I see Tommy Stevens name out there? That dudes a FB not a QB. He sucked in Calgary. Who is out there? MBT? Nope. Fajardo? Nope. This Kevin Glenn backup that existed 10 years ago don’t exist today. MBT and Faj were the 2 available and they were dealt and signed already. 

Actually there are a bunch of those types - I would say Faj, Maier, Arbuckle, Masoli, & MBT are all in that category of middling starter now looking to extend their career as a back-up.  Arbuckle & Masoli are pending FA's, iirc, while the other 3 were available to an limited extent.

 

[Pete]

45 minutes ago, Goalie said:

None even exist. It’s easy for ppl to say go after a QB but none actually exist that are better than the ones we have. Seriously I see Tommy Stevens name out there? That dudes a FB not a QB. He sucked in Calgary. Who is out there? MBT? Nope. Fajardo? Nope. This Kevin Glenn backup that existed 10 years ago don’t exist today. MBT and Faj were the 2 available and they were dealt and signed already. 

One qb that may be of interest is Matt Schiltz, LY wasnt in a good situation with the gong show that was Calgary. He could be a legitimate option

[Goalie]

23 minutes ago, Pete said:

One qb that may be of interest is Matt Schiltz, LY wasnt in a good situation with the gong show that was Calgary. He could be a legitimate option

I forgot about Schiltz . I don’t think an injured masoli is the answer. Schiltz I like.  Auto correct don’t like him tho. 

PS. BROWN signed a 1 year extension with Ottawa. 

Edited Wednesday at 05:21 PM by Goalie

[bigg jay]

31 minutes ago, Goalie said:

I forgot about Schiltz . I don’t think an injured masoli is the answer. Schiltz I like.  Auto correct don’t like him tho. 

PS. BROWN signed a 1 year extension with Ottawa. 

https://3downnation.com/2025/01/15/ottawa-redblacks-extend-qb-dru-brown-through-2026/

[JuranBoldenRules]

3 hours ago, bigg jay said:

If you are looking for a short yardage guy sure but he's thrown a total of 20 passes in 3 years (only 2 passes last year).  Nobody outside of Calgary has any idea if he can actually throw the ball.

If he could he would've been their starter.

His NCAA career shows that he's a specialist.

1 hour ago, Pete said:

One qb that may be of interest is Matt Schiltz, LY wasnt in a good situation with the gong show that was Calgary. He could be a legitimate option

Shiltz and Dolegala are basically the same as decent QB's but have opposite flaws.

Shiltz can't do anything vertical.  Dolegala struggles with accuracy in mid-range.

If Collaros is the starter, Dolegala is a way easier guy to slot in as a backup IMO because we are built on vertical passing game.

[Noeller]

Curious about Brown only signing a one year deal... Usually if he's The Guy, they'd sign a 2 or even 3 year deal...