Our Free Agent's Signings Are in Limbo Until Brady & Dalton Make Their Moves

[Lincoln Locomotive]

This....straight from the horses mouth, Kyle Walters

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/blue-bombers-in-holding-pattern-as-they-wait-on-contract-talks-with-oliveira-schoen

[Blue In BC]

I understand it but we can't wait forever for either of these situations to be resolved. There are going to be limits on what we can and will pay for some of our players regardless of what happens  with these two stars.

Bailey, Woli, Hallett, Gauthier for example.

[GOLDMEMBER]

Brady needs to wake up and smell the roses and decide if he wants to stay with his hometown club or not.

[LXTSN]

How much can you make a Grey Cup bonus, and would that count against the cap?

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Brady needs to wake up and smell the roses and decide if he wants to stay with his hometown club or not.

Kinda of the way I feel......I really didn't see this coming as I was sold on the concept that he would bleed Blue and Gold for his entire career.  The math is pretty simple as Dalton will command more than an 100K raise in salary and Brady is hoping for the same IF he stays.    That's close to 200K which means some well paid vets won't be returning.
Did the MOP nomination go to his head a tad?    He did make a public statement about returning to the Bombers If it doesn't work out for him down south and IF the Bombers bring back the right pieces.    So there's that however those "right pieces" are waiting to fall into place only after he decides where he wants to be.   
Have either of Brady or Dalton been invited for workouts with any NFL clubs to date?     Is their window of time closing with their dreams of making it in the NFL?    I get that players have hopes and dreams of making the big payday in the NFL however at some point they need to understand reality.   How many NFL teams did Dalton workout with last season and NOT get an offer?    I'm thinking that won't change this year?

As Kyle Walters mentioned, at some point the Bombers hand will be forced if they let this process drag on much longer.....which as he stated sounded like a few weeks.   Until then we won't see much happening in terms of signing our pending free agents of which there are a considerable number.

Regardless of what happens as Techno stated, some tough decisions will be made and there may be other surprises we didn't see coming.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Oliveria needs to make his money right now. This contract. He's never going to have more leverage. He'll be 27 in August. He's coming off a career year. He's a running back. He's paid his dues. Whether or not he gets paid here or not is a bigger question. But he deserves it somewhere and he's going to get it. Good for him, wherever it is.

[blue_gold_84]

Oliveria needs to make his money right now. This contract. He's never going to have more leverage. He'll be 27 in August. He's coming off a career year. He's a running back. He's paid his dues. Whether or not he gets paid here or not is a bigger question. But he deserves it somewhere and he's going to get it. Good for him, wherever it is.

Agreed. If maximizing money is his top priority, this is the time do it. How that plays out for him remains to be seen (see Kenny Lawler in 2022 FA) but all indications are he's banking on a significant raise.

The same argument could be made for Schoen.

The next month or so is going to be very interesting.

[theaardvark]

The one way Walters could speed this along is once they exhaust NFL options, and before FA hits, he can release them.  This allows other teams to make them offers, and he can counter, before the frenzy occurs.

I know there is a "tampering week" now, to do this kind of thing, but we could be out ahead of that, enter "tamper week" knowing our situation at RB and WR. 

Outside the box, sure, but if we feel confident in being able to be competitive signing them, or have resigned ourselves to not getting the back, this makes the FA shopping easier.

[blue_or_die]

Agreed. If maximizing money is his top priority, this is the time do it. How that plays out for him remains to be seen (see Kenny Lawler in 2022 FA) but all indications are he's banking on a significant raise.

The same argument could be made for Schoen.

The next month or so is going to be very interesting.

I think the problem some fans are having is with the bold. Most definitely he should be paid for his full value, bar none, but there's some disappointment that he's publicly implying that it's really just about the money for him. I want to think the Bombers are willing to pay the 'correct' price and have made that offer - and if we've lowballed him, he deserves more elsewhere - but if we have and he's waiting for a Chris Jones to make a ridiculous, out-of-market insanity offer to play for any team stupid enough to do that, that's a disappointing character moment. Even if that's what he thinks deep down, posting a money bag emoji on SM if kinda gross. A little like Evander Kane with the brick of money phone pic.

[blue_gold_84]

I think the problem some fans are having is with the bold. Most definitely he should be paid for his full value, bar none, but there's some disappointment that he's publicly implying that it's really just about the money for him. I want to think the Bombers are willing to pay the 'correct' price and have made that offer - and if we've lowballed him, he deserves more elsewhere - but if we have and he's waiting for a Chris Jones to make a ridiculous, out-of-market insanity offer to play for any team stupid enough to do that, that's a disappointing character moment. Even if that's what he thinks deep down, posting a money bag emoji on SM if kinda gross. A little like Evander Kane with the brick of money phone pic.

It's no different than any other CFL player who is a top FA and wants to get paid as much as possible in a business such as this. Fans are certainly entitled to feel how they want about Oliveira's words, actions, posts on social media, etc., but that reflects more on them than it does Oliveira, IMO. We aren't owed anything by a pending free agent. He's a professional athlete in a league that isn't renowned for its contracts, either in terms of remuneration or terms (no guaranteed money), so making the most of what's typically a small window is just putting his interests first. And that's okay.

His social media activity related to his pending FA isn't a good look, much in the same vein as his expressing NFL aspirations a while back. Not sure I'd question his character because of either thing, though. He's demonstrated his character time and again in real life, so include me among those willing to give him a pass for a questionable repost on social media with a moneybag emoji.

I can't even begin to understand the comparison to Evander Kane, BTW. It's completely baseless to me.

[theaardvark]

I think the problem some fans are having is with the bold. Most definitely he should be paid for his full value, bar none, but there's some disappointment that he's publicly implying that it's really just about the money for him. I want to think the Bombers are willing to pay the 'correct' price and have made that offer - and if we've lowballed him, he deserves more elsewhere - but if we have and he's waiting for a Chris Jones to make a ridiculous, out-of-market insanity offer to play for any team stupid enough to do that, that's a disappointing character moment. Even if that's what he thinks deep down, posting a money bag emoji on SM if kinda gross. A little like Evander Kane with the brick of money phone pic.

I don't think ANY fan begrudges him his ability to sign for his maximum return.  That's his decision.

How he does it, though, different story. "Where will I end up?" isn't necessary. It doesn't build his brand, it doesn't make other teams willing to pay him more, and it does upset some fans (myself included)

If he's trying to catch on in the NFL, great, all our best wishes are with him.  If he's looking to get a Lawler contract elsewhere, and play for a team that hurts his performance, but lines his pockets, that's his decision.  There will be GM's hoping to sign him and have him duplicate his 2023 year, but they are going to have to put a team around him like WPG did, and that will be hard, especially if they break the bank on him.

He's been a great Bomber, a great Winnipegger, and we'd hate to see him hurt that legacy by accident with actions that may actually hurt his final deal.    

[blue_or_die]

It's no different than any other CFL player who is a top FA and wants to get paid as much as possible in a business such as this. Fans are certainly entitled to feel how they want about Oliveira's words, actions, posts on social media, etc., but that reflects more on them that it does Oliveira, IMO. We aren't owed anything by a pending free agent. He's a professional athlete in a league that isn't renowned for its contracts, either in terms of remuneration or terms (no guaranteed money), so making the most of what's typically a small window is just putting his interests first. And that's okay.

His social media activity related to his pending FA isn't a good look, much in the same vein as his expressing NFL aspirations a while back. Not sure I'd question his character because of either thing, though. He's demonstrated his character time and again in real life, so include me among those willing to give him a pass for a questionable repost on social media with a moneybag emoji.

I can't even begin to understand the comparison to Evander Kane, BTW. It's completely baseless to me.

They're both tasteless moves based around a stack of money.

No one is debating "what he owes us" or "what we owe him". It's purely about conduct and character. This misstep won't live in infamy, but it's a little disappointing.

Fans are certainly entitled to feel how they want about Oliveira's words, actions, posts on social media, etc., but that reflects more on them that it does Oliveira, IMO.

lol?

[blue_gold_84]

They're both tasteless moves based around a stack of money.

No one is debating "what he owes us" or "what we owe him". It's purely about conduct and character.

Except one's an emoji and the other was an actual stack of money being used as a phone.

A pending FA trying to get his payday just isn't in the same galaxy as a player under contract who requested a trade every year he was here and had ego and character problems from the get go.

[TBURGESS]

My dog you guys will get your panties in a twist over weird things. A top FA want the big bucks? Of course he does.

[blue_or_die]

Except one's an emoji and the other was an actual stack of money being used as a phone.

A pending FA trying to get his payday just isn't in the same galaxy as a player under contract who requested a trade every year he was here and had ego and character problems from the get go.

I said they're similar. That does not equal the same.

The difference in history of issues plays no part in the implications made. Actually, I expected it from Kane back then and that's why it's weird to see a similar drop by Brady.

My dog you guys will get your panties in a twist over weird things. A top FA want the big bucks? Of course he does.

No one's talking about that lmao