Grey Cups are not won in February – Yet
The first week of CFL Free Agency is in the books and while the BC Lions won the Mike Reilly Sweepstakes and Bo Levi Mitchell returned to Calgary singing, “There’s No Place Like Home”, the bottom line is no Grey Cup has been won in February.
The trend in the CFL of one year contracts has made roster turnover a new constant and provides teams with the opportunity to undergo a rapid transformation from doormat to contender in one year. However, the record shows mixed results when it comes to teams rebuilding on the fly through free agency.
Rider fans may remember when Chris Jones took over in 2016 with a roster teardown and then adding pieces like Curtis Steele, Shamawd Chambers and Shawn Lemon, none of whom managed to remain with the team for the following season. Since then the Riders record in free agency has been mixed, with more misses than hits, and it’s probably fair to say that is consistent with the rest of the CFL.