Dalton Schoen working our for Vikes...

[TecnoGenius]

I think Schoen is legit and a bargain even at 150,000. He has great hands and rarely drops anything. He has underrated speed and is a legitimate deep threat. He is very smart, learned the playbook quickly, and gained ZC?s trust.  He did a lot of his damage while Ellingson was out, a situation where he was likely getting a lot of attention from defences. Also a good blocker. And the most under rated ability is availability. He does not seem to get injured. Many other elite CFL receivers were out for extended periods of time.

All great points.  All totally true.  He provides a unique skillset that isn't necessarily a traditional one.  Other WR/SB aspects I think are still up in the air, and I'm not surprised you left them out.  It's not bashing the kid to look at what he clearly excels at vs what he may be working on (or even bad at).

I would love to see the NFL report brief on what they think of Schoen... I bet that would confirm a lot of what I'm/we're saying.  I guarantee you there's enough "bad" on that report to tell us why 10 NFL teams haven't made him a $1M offer yet.

[Pete]

Yes, that's what I was saying.  If he's on 2yr ELC (and no one said he isn't), and if NFL doesn't care about him, then why bump him at all.  And why massive-bump him to top-10% pay in the league?  Ya, feelz, yada yada.  I like the idea of a small bump and/or bonuses.  I like the idea of promising him more in the future.  If he stays on his trajectory he probably will earn $180 in his year 3.  Why not $120 (all in) in year 2, and $180 year 3, and probably over $200 in year 4?

Look at Bailey... I bet he was on the ELC for his first 2 years.  I bet Lawler was close to it too (even though he didn't rookie with us).  Ya, Schoen>Bailey, but $150 for Schoen in year 2 is going to make a lot of present and future IMP ELCs a bit miffed.  Can anyone think of another year 2 ELC guy on any team that has been offered big money in year 2??  Excluding Rourke, as a QB is a different situation.

At the end of the day, I don't think Schoen will ever be Lawler, nor she he earn as much.  Lawler has level-upped to crazy level and makes catches I've never once seen Schoen make.  They are completely different receivers, completely different styles, that can't even be compared.  It doesn't mean Schoen can't be a long-term great for us.  He can certainly be a league-wide top-5 receiver for many years.  But to bump him up to crazy money in year 2 when even Lawler and other greats didn't get treated like that??

Lastly, I'm trying to think of a CFL player in the last decade to compare Schoen to... I'm drawing blanks.  Who had this kid's style?  Surely there must be someone.  I was thinking Cahoon, but Cahoon would often make Lawler/Dressler circus catches.  Schoen is unique.

the only reciever I can remember doing as well in rookie year was Derek walker in Edmonton however the salary landscape has changed especially with the signings Ly of Lawler , Williams and Whitehead. As mentioned above EDM Mitchell recently had his 2nd yr contract redone with an extension. We will get a better idea this free agency as to whats trending and have a better feel as to whether we need to act now re Schoen

[Pigskin]

Rookie Season Stats.

Lawler:  637 yards  4TDs  14.8 Avg.  174 YAC, longest 54 yards longest.

Schoen:  1441 yards  16TDs  20.6 Avg. 368 YAC, 81 yards longest.

Schoen also has one more TD then Lawler in 2 less seasons. So, this is why you give him a pay increase this season, and sign him to an extension for 2024 plus.

The kid makes plays. The type of receiver you want here for a long time.  

[GOLDMEMBER]

Maybe the Blue Bombers are waiting because they want to announce Demski and Schoen signings at the same time?

You would think if Schoen caught on we would of heard by now correct?

[Pete]

Schoen is signed for 2023 so not a rush to resign before free agency starts

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Maybe the Blue Bombers are waiting because they want to announce Demski and Schoen signings at the same time?

You would think if Schoen caught on we would of heard by now correct?

Thats what I was thinking....it's almost February and the FA window is just around the corner. 

[GOLDMEMBER]

The suspense is killing me though.

To many bad memories of many years gone by and losing key free agents prior to MOS arrival.

[GCn19]

Schoen is on a rookie deal. IF he doesn't go NFL, then we start talking midway through the season about an extension when we have a better idea of what kind of cap space we have created. The ONLY way I extend him now is if he gets a weak sauce NFL TCF contract offer and Walters feels bumping him now would sway him to return instead of taking it.

[theaardvark]

Schoen is on a rookie deal. IF he doesn't go NFL, then we start talking midway through the season about an extension when we have a better idea of what kind of cap space we have created. The ONLY way I extend him now is if he gets a weak sauce NFL TCF contract offer and Walters feels bumping him now would sway him to return instead of taking it.

No way ANY player getting even a sniff of NFL interest signs/stays in the CFL.  Even if it is just TCF.  Because a PR spot pays more than starting in the CFL, and a roster spot, well...

I anticipate he will get a futures offer, and will get his release.  And, if things don't pan out, I can see him as a late add to the roster in time for the playoffs...  and I hope he doesn't make NFL oriented training changes that hurt his CFL game...

[Jesse]

No way ANY player getting even a sniff of NFL interest signs/stays in the CFL.  Even if it is just TCF.  Because a PR spot pays more than starting in the CFL, and a roster spot, well...

I anticipate he will get a futures offer, and will get his release.  And, if things don't pan out, I can see him as a late add to the roster in time for the playoffs...  and I hope he doesn't make NFL oriented training changes that hurt his CFL game...

It does happen for older guys if they've been through the NFL ringer before and know when they're not being given a fair opportunity.

Could be that's where Scheon is at.

[theaardvark]

It does happen for older guys if they've been through the NFL ringer before and know when they're not being given a fair opportunity.

Could be that's where Scheon is at.

He's been on 3 practice rosters in 2 years.  He's 26 years old.  Not sure he fits the "older guys who've been through the NFL ringer before"

As to  "and know when they're not being given a fair opportunity", I think that his time in the CFL gives him some additional credit when coaches/scouts look at him.  Instead of a "What have you done" unproven PR guy, he now has a "ROY, led the league in yardage" asterix beside his name on a PR/DC.  He no longer has to prove what he can do, he is now in the spot of having to show what he can do in the NFL.  A completely different place on a roster, he's not going to have a lot of PR competition with his pedigree in pro football.  Yes, it was in the CFL, but most coaches know that the CFL is the 2nd best league in the world, and give it some respect.  At least as much or more than USFL or XFL gets...

[blue_gold_84]

I'm all for pumping a player's tires, especially after the season he had, but there's no need to oversell or overstate anything here.

Considering he hasn't received an offer yet after a handful of looks and workouts, I wouldn't say time is on his side - either in terms of his age (roughly the league average of the NFL) or the window closing in two weeks. Not even a futures contract thus far is telling, IMO.

He absolutely has to prove himself - same as any other opportunity. Just because he had a phenomenal and historic 2022 season doesn't change that reality. Professional football is a business and there numerous eyes watching his every move to determine the risk/reward factor as it relates to offering a contract. NFL personnel tasked with assessing talent will look at everything, anyway. That's their main focus. And to be blunt: I can't imagine most, if any, put more stock than they should into CFL stats/production. Nor should we.

Remember: receivers are a dime a dozen in the NFL, so the odds don't appear to be working out in his favour. It doesn't seem like his 2022 campaign has changed anyone's mind just yet. That could change but the clock is ticking.

[theaardvark]

I'm all for pumping a player's tires, especially after the season he had, but there's no need to oversell or overstate anything here.

Considering he hasn't received an offer yet after a handful of looks and workouts, I wouldn't say time is on his side - either in terms of his age (roughly the league average of the NFL) or the window closing in two weeks. Not even a futures contract thus far is telling, IMO.

He absolutely has to prove himself - same as any other opportunity. Just because he had a phenomenal and historic 2022 season doesn't change that reality. Professional football is a business and there numerous eyes watching his every move to determine the risk/reward factor as it relates to offering a contract. NFL personnel tasked with assessing talent will look at everything, anyway. That's their main focus. And to be blunt: I can't imagine most, if any, put more stock than they should into CFL stats/production. Nor should we.

Remember: receivers are a dime a dozen in the NFL, so the odds don't appear to be working out in his favour. It doesn't seem like his 2022 campaign has changed anyone's mind just yet. That could change but the clock is ticking.

There was a guy that had a special 2022 season (although he missed half of it) and got an NFL contract... even though he had not even got a sniff from the NFL after college...

[Jesse]

There was a guy that had a special 2022 season (although he missed half of it) and got an NFL contract... even though he had not even got a sniff from the NFL after college...

But Schoen did get a sniff. That's the point.

Everyone knows who he is and has a scouting report already. If they go to the CFL tape and see the same guy he was before...they're not going to give him another shot.

[TecnoGenius]

Compare with Chris Matthews.  That's the last time we saw a rookie WR sensation like Schoen.  After lighting up 2012, he left for the NFL early in the 2013 season, and did ok and even made it to the SuperBowl (though I think he was filling in for a late-season injury?).  But then he loses the SuperBowl and kind of falls off everyone's radar.  Comes back to a pathetic attempt at reviving a CFL career.

What would have happened to Matthews had he stayed in the CFL instead?  Maybe he has a great, long, all-star career in WPG and/or other CFL teams?  Maybe he'd still be playing.

So was it worth it for him to go to the NFL?  Maybe?  A couple of years of PR, and some starts, and a SB loss.  Do they really make *that* much money for that to make a full decade career in the CFL as a superstar unattractive?  I don't know the $$ involved with his starts and SB loss, but maybe in this case it wasn't the massive boon he would have thought?  Now, if he gets $1M just for starting in the SB, I guess that changes the equation.  I just don't know.

Maybe Schoen can learn from looking at what has happened to his WR NFL-bound peers over their entire careers.  Especially since at this point it looks like the best he'll do is bouncing around PRs.