Bombers sign QB Payton Thorne, release Parker & Echols

[gobombersgo]

Parker was still under contract while Bonds is a potential free agent. As mentioned about other players, I don't see re-signing a player only to add him to the 6 game IR for half of the season. You might do that with a longer term player but not one coming off a 1st ELC contract.

Parker was a pending free agent. Echols however had a year left on his contract.

[Blue In BC]

Probably remains unsigned until healthy then, but at that point I almost expect the Bombers to welcome him back if they have any deficiencies in the secondary at all.

Holm, Houston and Lawson are still potential free agents. Griffin as well. It's a question about what happens before he's healthy. Your point about deficiencies is a valid at a point in time may change what happens.

OTOH, maybe we re-sign Holm, Houston and Lawson and find the next Alford before he's healthy.

The state of the rehab to his knee is 1st mitigating question.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Holm, Houston and Lawson are still potential free agents. Griffin as well. It's a question about what happens before he's healthy. Your point about deficiencies is a valid at a point in time may change what happens.

OTOH, maybe we re-sign Holm, Houston and Lawson and find the next Alford before he's healthy.

The state of the rehab to his knee is 1st mitigating question.

Houston and Lawson will likely sign for whatever is offered, knowing how close they came to the end of their football careers. Holmie might play the "Brady game" and stick them for as much as he can before agreeing to re-sign.

[the.inkster]

Houston and Lawson will likely sign for whatever is offered, knowing how close they came to the end of their football careers. Holmie might play the "Brady game" and stick them for as much as he can before agreeing to re-sign.

Are we talking about Cam Lawson? If so, he's already re-signed for 2 years (https://www.bluebombers.com/2025/12/10/blue-bombers-sign-cam-lawson-to-two-year-contract-extension/)

[Pigskin]

Are we talking about Cam Lawson? If so, he's already re-signed for 2 years (https://www.bluebombers.com/2025/12/10/blue-bombers-sign-cam-lawson-to-two-year-contract-extension/)

No, there talking about DBs. So this would be Dexter Lawson.

[Tecno]

Holmie might play the "Brady game" and stick them for as much as he can before agreeing to re-sign.

Holm has done very few pressers (I can recall one the last time he re-signed??) but I got the definite impression he's soft spoken and doesn't want to cause trouble or a ruckus, or make a scene.

My guess is he happily takes a very fair offer from KW.  KW will pay him fairly as long as some other team isn't desperate for him.

Let's all remember, DBs are always the cheapest lot, and fairly easy to replace.  I've learned not to get attached to them, as they cycle through fairly quickly.  We've actually been pretty spoiled lately that we've got to know Holm, Nichols, Parker (and even Houston and Nick Taylor) over a longer term.  That's not the norm.

[Tecno]

Parker was still under contract while Bonds is a potential free agent. As mentioned about other players, I don't see re-signing a player only to add him to the 6 game IR for half of the season.

Why not?  It's cheap, wouldn't require any signing bonus, and will be 100% SMS free until he's healed.  Then voila, you have a healthy fresh experience DB come labor day right when you're getting creamed with injuries.

$10k above ELC on a 1-year and it's a done deal.  Make it so, number one!

[the.inkster]

No, there talking about DBs. So this would be Dexter Lawson.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for clarifying 

[Blue In BC]

Why not?  It's cheap, wouldn't require any signing bonus, and will be 100% SMS free until he's healed.  Then voila, you have a healthy fresh experience DB come labor day right when you're getting creamed with injuries.

$10k above ELC on a 1-year and it's a done deal.  Make it so, number one!

Because then you have a player coming off an injury 6 - 9 games in the season. It's a gamble like bringing in Schoen back only to re-injure and miss the more time. By then we'll have gone through TC and found the next group of DB's going forward on our PR.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Because then you have a player coming off an injury 6 - 9 games in the season. It's a gamble like bringing in Schoen back only to re-injure and miss the more time. By then we'll have gone through TC and found the next group of DB's going forward on our PR.

Just curious in a case like Bonds or Schoen who are now FA's, doesn't the team maintain financial obligation to them until they are healed?

[Blue In BC]

Just curious in a case like Bonds or Schoen who are now FA's, doesn't the team maintain financial obligation to them until they are healed?

Medical recovery costs are covered IIRC. Beyond that nothing as far as I know unless they are under contract. In those cases they get added to 6 game IR as " injured vet " or some similar designation. If the injury is very long term there might be some sort of buyout as we see in the NFL.

[theaardvark]

Medical recovery costs are covered IIRC. Beyond that nothing as far as I know unless they are under contract. In those cases they get added to 6 game IR as " injured vet " or some similar designation. If the injury is very long term there might be some sort of buyout as we see in the NFL.

Rehab is covered by the team, but not living expenses or salary, until the injury has been rehabbed, or I believe a certain time period, maybe 2 years?  I think we had an issue with that with Jovan Johnson, didn't we?

So, if a player want to rehab, and wants the costs of that rehab covered, its probably in their best interest to stay local. 

Signing a team friendly deal that puts you on the IR to start the season costs the team no $SMS, and is good PR.  And, after the rehab is complete, if the player has not gotten up to game speed or recovered to the point of competitive play, but is healed, there is no reason they can't release the player without ever costing the team a single $SMS dollar.

[dd]

Why not?  It's cheap, wouldn't require any signing bonus, and will be 100% SMS free until he's healed.  Then voila, you have a healthy fresh experience DB come labor day right when you're getting creamed with injuries.

$10k above ELC on a 1-year and it's a done deal.  Make it so, number one!

$10k above an ELC is an insult to Holm. Who is by far the best cover DB in the league. Teams avoid throwing his way. I am hoping Walters makes him a fair Nd equitable offer. We shouldn't expect players to play for nothing. I d take Evan holm over any DB in the league, pay the man accordingly.

[Jesse]

$10k above an ELC is an insult to Holm. Who is by far the best cover DB in the league. Teams avoid throwing his way. I am hoping Walters makes him a fair Nd equitable offer. We shouldn't expect players to play for nothing. I d take Evan holm over any DB in the league, pay the man accordingly.

Holm is one of the higher paid DBs in the league. They were talking about Parker and/or Bonds, I think.

[Tecno]

$10k above an ELC is an insult to Holm.

Bonds.  Injured-and-still-not-totally-proven Bonds is worth $10-$20 above ELC at this moment.

Holm will be north of $150k.