CFL Free Agency a matter of Dollars and Sense
If the CFL wanted to get back into the spotlight in the off-season then so far, so good.
CFL free agency hit on Feb. 13 and the result is a reflection of the impact the salary management system has had on how CFL teams operate. With one year contracts and the opening of the collective bargaining agreement next year, plus the probably expansion of the CFL to Atlantic Canada, the traditional model of a three year rebuild from pretender to contender has now been switched out for a year to year build based on a core group supplemented by judicious picks to help a team get over the top.
That means creating a culture where the players buy into taking less in exchange for a shot at winning or getting the exposure they want for a more lucractive NFL shot. CFL teams are willing to let players go try out NFL possibilities and while teams will deny having a contract in the drawer in case the player returns and the NFL possibility doesn’t pan out, well, draw your own conclusions.
The challenges facing each of the CFL teams are unique and they handled them in their own fashion. In BC, the Lions have started the transition from the Wally Buono era with Ed Hervey taking over as GM. The Lions big problems start on their offensive line and the Lions responded with signing Joel Figueroa, Jeremy Lewis andChris Greaves. The Lions added more ex-Eskimos Hervey would have been familiar with from his time as the Eskimo GM with inking Euclid Cummings, Garry Peters, Corey Watson, Cauchy Muamba and Otha Foster. The Lions lost Alex Bazzie, Louchiez Purifoy and Chandler Fenner to other teams, but considering BC missed the playoffs last year for the first time since the invention of fire, that might not be a bad thing.