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

[JuranBoldenRules]

21 minutes ago, blue85gold said:

Ya totally agree that it doesn't make sense. The picks should just be forfeited. 

Bombers aren't any worse off though. Just Calgary gets a huge bonus. 

Not in comparison to the rest of the league, but they gave Calgary an extra advantage that devalues every other pick by 1-2 slots from the end of the first round to the end of the draft.

If they remove the picks we're picking 6, 14, 16.  Now we're picking 6, 15, 18.

[blue85gold]

22 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Not in comparison to the rest of the league, but they gave Calgary an extra advantage that devalues every other pick by 1-2 slots from the end of the first round to the end of the draft.

If they remove the picks we're picking 6, 14, 16.  Now we're picking 6, 15, 18.

Ya if they removed the picks we'd be better off but they weren't ever doing that. 

Our picks at 15 and 18 were at 15 and 18 before today's announcement. 

Also, wasn't our first round pick at 7 before today? Now it is at 6. 

[Booch]

5 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Or maybe he came to the realization that he isn't good enough to be rostered and moved on from football. Seriously, we get your point on roster but digging in your heels about Murphy being denied roster time is a strange use of this argument. At no time did he ever demonstrate that he was better than anyone on our roster.

I was never a Murphy fan....but players...regardless of supposed talent get tired of being over looked and not a chance...especially when guys are not 100 percent...

He could play teams tho on was not a liability on coverage teams by any stretch....so he had use....dont get me wrong...he's no loss and there are prob 3..4 other guys we likely to roter ..again and if we moved on for a younger guy with possible upside...they would not be missed

Point is...Woli almost walked away for the very reason BOLO basically did before he re-upped his 2nd deal...or was it 3rd...one of them but was talked into staying by teammates...and those 2 instances aren't isolated....just sayin

Good thing we locked Lawson in because I am sure if he wasnt locked up, and played second fiddle to you know who last yr...and shred reps with him again this yr...he's be outta here...and who would blame him

[bigg jay]

1 hour ago, rebusrankin said:

Losing a 1st and a 2nd, plus a fine for finishing 3rd and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Way to go BC.

Calgary getting 2 extra picks for being incompetent is foolish.

Agreed but they've been rewarding mediocrity through the draft for a few years now.  This is just a step from the extra territorial draft picks they've been handing out.

[Goalie]

350 000 over is insane. The fact the 3 other teams who went over don’t even add up to 200k is wild. Bc should be punished more cuz 350k over is insane. That’s like if we kept dru brown around. That’s wild. They basically overspent by a first time starting QBs salary. That’s just insane. Has there been any guy that we let go or signed elsewhere that went on to prove it was a mistake letting him go? Maybe desjarlais and dru brown but certainly not Murphy or Bolo. Maybe Casey sayles but even then ppl at the time were ok letting him go. I really can’t think of any other than dru brown cuz even desjarlais got the bag. 

Edited Friday at 08:07 PM by Goalie

[JuranBoldenRules]

15 minutes ago, Goalie said:

350 000 over is insane. The fact the 3 other teams who went over don’t even add up to 200k is wild. Bc should be punished more cuz 350k over is insane. That’s like if we kept dru brown around. That’s wild. They basically overspent by a first time starting QBs salary. That’s just insane. Has there been any guy that we let go or signed elsewhere that went on to prove it was a mistake letting him go? Maybe desjarlais and dru brown but certainly not Murphy or Bolo. Maybe Casey sayles but even then ppl at the time were ok letting him go. I really can’t think of any other than dru brown cuz even desjarlais got the bag. 

They basically paid $1.3 million for their starting QBs last year that’s the big difference…then Betts.  They deprived themselves of so many roster spots, starting crappy players on rookie deals throughout their LB and secondary group which basically killed their chances to even get to the Grey Cup game.

Imagine how far over they would have been if they paid for a defense.

[wbbfan]

5 hours ago, blue85gold said:

How was Woli not given a chance? He started for years. 

Him and Demski are the reason no other Canadians got a chance at receiver.

As in to actually play wr, and not be a blocking te on half the snaps. 

 

5 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Yea...he has a point on Petey and Simonise but Woli was literally starting the last 5 games of his year 1 and held the starter position after that. As for Petey and Simonise, they did play many snaps for us and we moved on. Sometimes it is unfair to say they never got a chance when their production was pretty meh in the snaps they were given. Neither Petey nor Simonise has done much of anything since they left so it leads me to believe they just weren't good enough. 

When we release someone who actually produces somewhere else, the argument can be made we held them back but until then it's kind of unfair to criticize the brass for not playing inferior talent. I mean it's not like we held them on our PR until they were too old to be developed. Both Petey and Simonise were young enough when they left here that they could have shown they were being held back. Neither man did.

Woli talked a few times about his role vs being a wr. He was brilliant when he was allowed to pass catch. I think the chance to be a full time pass catcher in Hamilton was appealing. 

[greenrider55]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

They basically paid $1.3 million for their starting QBs last year that’s the big difference…then Betts.  They deprived themselves of so many roster spots, starting crappy players on rookie deals throughout their LB and secondary group which basically killed their chances to even get to the Grey Cup game.

Imagine how far over they would have been if they paid for a defense.

It’s actually insane, they went that far over to finish 3rd, and lose in the WSF.

Rourke and Betts worth all that? I don’t think so.

[WinnipegGordo]

2 hours ago, Goalie said:

350 000 over is insane. The fact the 3 other teams who went over don’t even add up to 200k is wild. Bc should be punished more cuz 350k over is insane. That’s like if we kept dru brown around. That’s wild. They basically overspent by a first time starting QBs salary. That’s just insane. Has there been any guy that we let go or signed elsewhere that went on to prove it was a mistake letting him go? Maybe desjarlais and dru brown but certainly not Murphy or Bolo. Maybe Casey sayles but even then ppl at the time were ok letting him go. I really can’t think of any other than dru brown cuz even desjarlais got the bag. 

The fines for going over the cap get distributed to the teams that were under. As a result, the Bombers will be receiving about 150k.

So, even though TO, Sask and Ottawa werent over by alot they still lose out on some cash.

[wbbfan]

42 minutes ago, greenrider55 said:

It’s actually insane, they went that far over to finish 3rd, and lose in the WSF.

Rourke and Betts worth all that? I don’t think so.

It’s wild. Rourke cost them a first a second a bundle of cash and made them significantly worse. That’s one of the worst deals in recent history. 

[Fatty Liver]

5 hours ago, Booch said:

I was never a Murphy fan....but players...regardless of supposed talent get tired of being over looked and not a chance...especially when guys are not 100 percent...

He could play teams tho on was not a liability on coverage teams by any stretch....so he had use....dont get me wrong...he's no loss and there are prob 3..4 other guys we likely to roter ..again and if we moved on for a younger guy with possible upside...they would not be missed

Point is...Woli almost walked away for the very reason BOLO basically did before he re-upped his 2nd deal...or was it 3rd...one of them but was talked into staying by teammates...and those 2 instances aren't isolated....just sayin

 

Love Woli, but if it wasn't for a fluke tie to a Canadian passport he wouldn't have had a pro football career at all.  He earned his keep once established, but he should consider himself a lucky dude.

[wbbfan]

31 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Love Woli, but if it wasn't for a fluke tie to a Canadian passport he wouldn't have had a pro football career at all.  He earned his keep once established, but he should consider himself a lucky dude.

Bc tried to sign him as an American before he got his ni status. 

[Noeller]

5 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

The fines for going over the cap get distributed to the teams that were under. As a result, the Bombers will be receiving about 150k.

So, even though TO, Sask and Ottawa werent over by alot they still lose out on some cash.

Thanks Gord .. did not realize that. Very cool that we get money outta this as well. **** those assholes.

Now,  knowing what we K ow now about all this.... How are we feeling about the whole "Walters should spend every single penny possible to win a home GC!!" ??

[WinnipegGordo]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

Thanks Gord .. did not realize that. Very cool that we get money outta this as well. **** those assholes.

Now,  knowing what we K ow now about all this.... How are we feeling about the whole "Walters should spend every single penny possible to win a home GC!!" ??

The league office fines any team penalized for a salary cap violation in the form of withheld monthly equity payments. The money is then evenly distributed to the teams that were salary cap compliant the previous year. This year, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Montreal will receive an additional $158,761 in compensation.

https://3downnation.com/2025/03/28/b-c-lions-exceed-cfl-salary-cap-by-almost-350000-lose-first-and-second-round-picks/

[SpeedFlex27]

16 hours ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

Two lost draft picks and almost 650K in fines if teh 3down article is correct.....ouch!!!!

I'd be very unhappy if I was a BC Lions fan. The money spent might have worked if Rick Campbell hadn't effed it up by benching Vernon Adams who was having a MOP season until he got hurt. Taking the reigns away from Adams & giving it to Rourke killed their season .

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Taking the reigns away from Adams & giving it to Rourke killed their season .

To an extent. But as JBR pointed out, their D was far below par.

[Fatty Liver]

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I'd be very unhappy if I was a BC Lions fan. The money spent might have worked if Rick Campbell hadn't effed it up by benching Vernon Adams who was having a MOP season until he got hurt. Taking the reigns away from Adams & giving it to Rourke killed their season .

I doubt that was Campbell's direct decision, do you also think he's the one that pushed them so far over the salary cap?   The fact he fired Campbell because it didn't all work out the way he wanted is a pretty bad sign, clear case of an owner getting too involved with the football operation IMO.

Edited Saturday at 07:16 PM by Fatty Liver

[Stickem]

So the Leo's blew their wad in a home Cup year...Don't see that as great management ...BUT all things considered would we be open to creeping over a bit in our 25' Cup year....Somehow I don't see it happening ....Didn't do it with our own guys in fa.... nor on anyone in fa for that matter...  Maybe a big splash ....trade and cash for a position of need??......On second thought ....nah ...that's just not us

[Fatty Liver]

18 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Bc tried to sign him as an American before he got his ni status. 

That would buy him an invite to TC where he'd have to compete with Imports for a spot.  in 2017 that would have included Manny Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham, Chris Williams and Nick Moore.

[SpeedFlex27]

6 hours ago, Mark H. said:

To an extent. But as JBR pointed out, their D was far below par.

It was but their passing offense was humming. Could they have maintained that level all season? That was a talented receiving corps. Probably not but who knows if Adams could have reached 6,000 yards passing. Campbell in one decision just took it all away.

4 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

I doubt that was Campbell's direct decision, do you also think he's the one that pushed them so far over the salary cap?   The fact he fired Campbell because it didn't all work out the way he wanted is a pretty bad sign, clear case of an owner getting too involved with the football operation IMO.

Whoever made that decision, it was the wrong one. And publicly, the HC will always wear it for all to see.

[SpeedFlex27]

2 hours ago, Stickem said:

So the Leo's blew their wad in a home Cup year...Don't see that as great management ...BUT all things considered would we be open to creeping over a bit in our 25' Cup year....Somehow I don't see it happening ....Didn't do it with our own guys in fa.... nor on anyone in fa for that matter...  Maybe a big splash ....trade and cash for a position of need??......On second thought ....nah ...that's just not us

I think most of us were looking at us retaining Liam Dobson as well as impact signing on both the OL & DL & that was it. We didn't expect the team to spend like crazy but to address the needs in our weakest areas. That was my expectations.

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

It was but their passing offense was humming. Could they have maintained that level all season? That was a talented receiving corps. Probably not but who knows if Adams could have reached 6,000 yards passing. Campbell in one decision just took it all away.

That was the Bombers until the 2019 late season D. O mostly moved the ball, D could not put games away when needed. Until 2019...then they just physically beat everyone up.

[SpeedFlex27]

11 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

That was the Bombers until the 2019 late season D. O mostly moved the ball, D could not put games away when needed. Until 2019...then they just physically beat everyone up.

I loved it & then we just intimidated everyone. Then we just stopped doing it. Instead of Stevie Richardson we have jake Thomas. It's crazy. 

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

That would buy him an invite to TC where he'd have to compete with Imports for a spot.  in 2017 that would have included Manny Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham, Chris Williams and Nick Moore.

And? He sat most of 17. Out gained half those guys in his first main year. Only two of those guys had significantly better rookie years, and one is one year wonder jones.
 Geroy Simon was once expendable too. Woli made this team with some very very deep wr cores. Every year here is better than Demskis best year before arriving here.  His 17, 22, 23, and 24 years are both would’ve easily been 1k-1200 seasons as a top 3 target. 
 Bunch of vet WRs have been going to the nfl and bouncing around on the league on big deals for less production than wolis better years. And that’s with out any of the blocking role. 
 

If you think he’s a blank passport you’ve completely lost the plot. He might be the most reliable and clutch ni wr in the league since his rookie year. He accepted a lesser role here because that’s our system and that was the fit with soo many other productive catchers and RBs. 

Edited Saturday at 11:36 PM by wbbfan

[Fatty Liver]

8 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

And? He sat most of 17. Out gained half those guys in his first main year. Only two of those guys had significantly better rookie years, and one is one year wonder jones.
 Geroy Simon was once expendable too. Woli made this team with some very very deep wr cores. Every year here is better than Demskis best year before arriving here.  His 17, 22, 23, and 24 years are both would’ve easily been 1k-1200 seasons as a top 3 target. 
 Bunch of vet WRs have been going to the nfl and bouncing around on the league on big deals for less production than wolis better years. And that’s with out any of the blocking role. 
 

If you think he’s a blank passport you’ve completely lost the plot. He might be the most reliable and clutch ni wr in the league since his rookie year. He accepted a lesser role here because that’s our system and that was the fit with soo many other productive catchers and RBs. 

My point is the Lions likely would have cut Woli in TC if he competed as an Import in 2017, Bombers likely would have done the same under those circumstances.  Without his golden passport he doesn't make the team in the first place, kudos to him for using it to his advantage and eventually establishing himself as a decent receiver.