Red Blacks Sign OL Drew Desjarlais

[Ridermania]

Canadian offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais has signed a two-year contract with the Ottawa Redblacks following a stint in the NFL. The 25-year-old spent this past season as a member of the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.

According to 3DownNation reporter John Hodge, Desjarlais will earn $250,500 in the first year of the deal and $266,000 in the second year of the deal plus all-star incentives. He is now the highest-paid offensive lineman in the CFL. Previously, Mark Korte of the Edmonton Elks was the league?s highest-paid offensive lineman with annual earnings of $220,000.

https://3downnation.com/2023/01/30/canadian-ol-drew-desjarlais-signs-with-ottawa-redblacks-following-nfl-stint/

[Pigskin]

Good for Drew. Ottawa needed OL help.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

hoped he was coming back to us.....Walters obviously wasn't willing to get into a bidding war albeit he gave us that Walbyesque nastiness factor in spades.    Incidentally, Bluto was very high on Drew

[LXTSN]

Shoot! That's a big miss for us, although we do already have a load of OL depth.
If this were a video game where you don't need to consider loyalty when factoring in contracts... I would think about trying to resign a 25 year old monster vs. some 33-36 year old (past their prime) OL guys.
I love the guys we have, but this guy was a force!

[Pete]

Good move by redblacks , though it looks like they had to overpay its much the same scenario as when we originally sogned Bryant ( struggling team with little leadership) and look how that turned out.

[Blue In BC]

An excellent OL and he would have been a large upgrade at Guard in Winnipeg. That said, it comes at a large SMS hit in Ottawa. They were in a bigger need to upgrade than the Bombers. I can't dispute he's worth the money but yikes nevertheless.

Good luck to him on the Redblacks.

[LXTSN]

WOW! $250,000!!!
I think it will be a good investment for the RB's but I've never seen an OL contract so large!
Good for him, and shout out to our scouting crew. Seems every year we get someone taken away on a huge contract!

[CrazyCanuck89]

I think you guys will be fine with Grey and Neufeld starting at guard.  Dobson, Eli and  Kowalski as backups.  It's an embasment   of riches. 

Focus on Dline depth and halfback depth in the draft.  Maybe even cornerback, now that Ford is gone.

[TBURGESS]

We didn't need him and Ottawa did. Nice money for the big guy.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Better out east if he's not in Winnipeg. Too bad but we've got good talent there.

[theaardvark]

Wow... we've lost a couple of nasty OG's.. Chungh to BC and now Dejarlais to OTT, but at rates that are just amazing.  Glad we got some time out of them at ELC rates... and this is great for recruiting OL for the future... looking at what a stint in WPG can do for your earning power...

Highest paid OL in the league at OG... That's kind of interesting.  Unless they are thinking about pushing him out to OT...

But protecting Masoli has become a big issue, and this will go a ways to doing that...

[Sir Blue and Gold]

We didn't need him and Ottawa did. Nice money for the big guy.

True. And last week Masoli reworked his contract to pay him more up front but be less of an SMS hit overall. The call probably went something like, "Hey Jeremiah, how's the leg? Do you want to die next year? No? Listen, we can probably get Desjarlais but we'll have to overpay. You want to split the difference with us to save your torso, limbs and cranium? Yes? Great, contract's already in your inbox."

[the paw]

True. And last week Masoli reworked his contract to pay him more up front but be less of an SMS hit overall. The call probably went something like, "Hey Jeremiah, how's the leg? Do you want to die next year? No? Listen, we can probably get Desjarlais but we'll have to overpay. You want to split the difference with us to save your torso, limbs and cranium? Yes? Great, contract's already in your inbox."

It raises the question of who Desjarlais is going to replace.  Ottawa added decent talent to their o-line last year, but struggled mostly due to QB injury and lack of a consistent running back. 

Both Hunter Steward and Ruby are only 30 years old, and Ciraco is a fixture at centre I think.  If I had to guess, I would say Steward is the most likely odd man out.  They have a couple of young guys developing who can serve as #6 and #7.   Unless they are wanting to try either Ruby or Steward at OT, something both were candidates for early in their career.  I think that would be folly, and based on the signings they are making of American OTs, I expect they won't go down this path. 

[Blue In BC]

I think you guys will be fine with Grey and Neufeld starting at guard.  Dobson, Eli and  Kowalski as backups.  It's an embasment   of riches. 

Focus on Dline depth and halfback depth in the draft.  Maybe even cornerback, now that Ford is gone.

Kolankowski is probable to start at center and Couture is probable to move on in free agency.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Kolankowski is probable to start at center and Couture is probable to move on in free agency.

Kolankowski and Eli will have to sort that out in training camp for sure.

[Blue In BC]

Kolankowski and Eli will have to sort that out in training camp for sure.

I think Eli is more likely in competition with Gray at LG than at center. O'Shea will move players around in TC to gain that versatility but I don't remember Eli having experience at center?

[the paw]

I think Eli is more likely in competition with Gray at LG than at center. O'Shea will move players around in TC to gain that versatility but I don't remember Eli having experience at center?

Eli was touted as one of the best centres in college football, and on the fast track to the NFL before injuries derailed his career.  I think he is the future at the centre position.  I think Dobson is lining up to replace Paddy Neufeld one day.  Kolankowski is a journeyman who really answered the bell for us, but will be hard pressed to stay the starter for long, IMHO.  Whether this is the year Eli wins the job, who knows?

[Sir Blue and Gold]

I think Eli is more likely in competition with Gray at LG than at center. O'Shea will move players around in TC to gain that versatility but I don't remember Eli having experience at center?

Like Pas said, unless he's suddenly reinvented himself since he stepped away he is most certainly a centre. That's what he played at Hawaii. That's what he got reps at mostly here.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Like Pas said, unless he's suddenly reinvented himself since he stepped away he is most certainly a centre. That's what he played at Hawaii. That's what he got reps at mostly here.

True, I can't recall which position he actually saw action in previously, but on the depth chart of the 2019 G.C. he's listed as the backup Center to Speller and the 2021 W.F. backup to Couture.

[Jesse]

True, I can't recall which position he actually saw action in previously, but on the depth chart of the 2019 G.C. he's listed as the backup Center to Speller and the 2021 W.F. backup to Couture.

He was our 6th OL, so he probably saw snaps all over while he was here and came on in jumbo packages. Probably would have been our centre this past year if he was here, tbh.

[Blue In BC]

Like Pas said, unless he's suddenly reinvented himself since he stepped away he is most certainly a centre. That's what he played at Hawaii. That's what he got reps at mostly here.

It was pointed out that he hasn't played since 2021 and he only has 19 CFL games under his belt. Some suggested it might take 1/2 a season to get up to speed .Center calls OL blocking so I can see him more at Guard for 2023 either as a back up or fighting to start.

Long term he may be the Center of the future.

[CrazyCanuck89]

Kolankowski is probable to start at center and Couture is probable to move on in free agency.

The point is you guys still have depth and you also have the chance to add during the draft.  If Eli and Dobson are you're sixth and seventh linemen you're in good shape.  Plus Gray's versatility to play tackle is a bonus.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

It was pointed out that he hasn't played since 2021 and he only has 19 CFL games under his belt. Some suggested it might take 1/2 a season to get up to speed .Center calls OL blocking so I can see him more at Guard for 2023 either as a back up or fighting to start.

Long term he may be the Center of the future.

Could go that way for sure. On the other hand I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was our starting centre week 1 and someone else was the 6th OL.

[TecnoGenius]

I really don't like how the NFL is handled in the CFL.  It just rubs me the wrong way.  We release our best players to the NFL, and most return but then are off to the highest bidder CFL team who usually isn't us.

If you develop the guy, start the guy, showcase the guy, then are nice enough to release the guy to get rich down south, there should be some retention of rights when they return to the CFL.

There should be a way for the CFL to balance this so that if the losing team wants them back they get first dibs, possibly at some sort of controlled $$.  Yes, I understand that with the current setup the old team might not be able (or want to) afford a much higher $$.  That's why there might have to be be some sort of $$ control on NFL-returnees; maybe just in their first year back.

We always talk about continuity being important...

[Pete]

Wasn't Desjarlais a free agent he went down south? Unlike  Ford who took advantage of the window and if he returns we rretain his rights. I do agree with you in terms of the window but the cfl has to do this to remain competitive with the xfl; and the usfl

[TecnoGenius]

Wasn't Desjarlais a free agent he went down south? Unlike  Ford who took advantage of the window and if he returns we rretain his rights. I do agree with you in terms of the window but the cfl has to do this to remain competitive with the xfl; and the usfl

You might be right.  I don't want to stop players from going to the NFL.  I just want some sort of continuity when they come back.  Some sort of incentive/imperative for them to stay with the the team they left.  Whether or not they were up for FA anyhow.

Most normie fans have/had no idea who is/was FA vs still signed when they went to the NFL.  All they see is Desjar was in WPG, now is in OTT.  If Desjar never went south, it would be a fair bet to say he'd still be a Bomber in 2023.

I know, it's probably impossible and I can't even offer a solution.  But it rubs me the wrong way, even though we "won" on one of those (Biggie).

[Jesse]

You might be right.  I don't want to stop players from going to the NFL.  I just want some sort of continuity when they come back.  Some sort of incentive/imperative for them to stay with the the team they left.  Whether or not they were up for FA anyhow.

Most normie fans have/had no idea who is/was FA vs still signed when they went to the NFL.  All they see is Desjar was in WPG, now is in OTT.  If Desjar never went south, it would be a fair bet to say he'd still be a Bomber in 2023.

I know, it's probably impossible and I can't even offer a solution.  But it rubs me the wrong way, even though we "won" on one of those (Biggie).

I don't think you have a clear understanding of the rules, bud.

There are examples of teams retaining the rights to their draft picks. Drew was just a FA.

[Pete]

It says a lot about this team though when you csn lose players such as allstars Desjarlais, Alford, Lawler, Richardson and up and comers such as Kongbo and Ford and still remain more than competitive.One of the prices you pay for having a winning team is that you can't meet some of the crazy contracts other teams will offer ie Lawler and Desjarlais
It looks like we will lose Couture this year and hoping we dont lose demski.

[TecnoGenius]

I don't think you have a clear understanding of the rules, bud.

There are examples of teams retaining the rights to their draft picks. Drew was just a FA.

Yes yes, I fully get it, friend.  I just don't like it.  Yes, I'm hard up for something to moan about this week.  The Desjar news just gave me PTSD flashbacks to the Henoc debacle.  Every time this happens I get angry.  Yes, I know it's fully within their rights.  I don't have to like it, though!

[Nic16]

Simple solution could be?

The team he signs for upon his return from the nfl would have to give up a draft pick based on conditions.
Size and length of contract, age & quality of the player, round the player was originally drafted +/or yrs in CFL.

A guy like Desjarlais would be a 2023 1st rd pick and a 2024 3rd rd pick.

[pjrocksmb]

Too bad he isn't back but great he is in the league again.  Maybe we can land him when his deal is up.

[blue_gold_84]

Great move by the RedBlacks and a nice payday for Desjarlais.

[Pete]

Simple solution could be?

The team he signs for upon his return from the nfl would have to give up a draft pick based on conditions.
Size and length of contract, age & quality of the player, round the player was originally drafted +/or yrs in CFL.

A guy like Desjarlais would be a 2023 1st rd pick and a 2024 3rd rd pick.

If he could have signed with any other team prior to going to NFL why shouldn't he be allowed to do the same on returning without penalty to signing team.
Btw if Ottawa had offered him 250k at that time he still wouldn't be a bomber

[theaardvark]

Drew would *not* be a Bomber, regardless his NFL stint.  I hate seeing that sentiment.  Like Chungh, its a combination of our need vs. other teams needs.  OTT needed him $250k+ worth.  We have depth at OL, and would have liked him, but did not *need* him more than a normal OG salary's worth, maybe $180k.. so he was never coming back here.  We have 7 Oline that could start on pretty much any team.  We did not need to break the bank on #8. 

And I don't think we will have an issue recruiting the next group either. 

Good on Drew for maximizing his deal, and cripling OTT's ability to sign other players, much like Chungh did in B+C... 

Thanks.

[Jesse]

Simple solution could be?

The team he signs for upon his return from the nfl would have to give up a draft pick based on conditions.
Size and length of contract, age & quality of the player, round the player was originally drafted +/or yrs in CFL.

A guy like Desjarlais would be a 2023 1st rd pick and a 2024 3rd rd pick.

Why should a team have to give up draft picks to sign a FA?

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I wasn't following Desjarlais progress through the NFL, just wondering why he came back and if he will give the NFL another go next year?  Anyone know if he saw any NFL game time or if he just ran out of options and had no other prospect of receiving a paycheque.

[theaardvark]

Why should a team have to give up draft picks to sign a FA?

Not a bad idea that if a team grants an early release from a contract that they retain some semblance of rights, RFA status basically... and that, like the NHL, signing him to an offer sheet results in a right to match, or compensation based on the size of contract...

I have no problem with that idea...

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Yes yes, I fully get it, friend.  I just don't like it.  Yes, I'm hard up for something to moan about this week.  The Desjar news just gave me PTSD flashbacks to the Henoc debacle.  Every time this happens I get angry.  Yes, I know it's fully within their rights.  I don't have to like it, though!

What's also annoying is the NFL doesn't kick in any payment for having full access to any player the CFL develops whenever they want to pick the ripest cherries from their orchard.  Somehow we're supposed to feel good about this arrangement.

[Nic16]

Not a bad idea that if a team grants an early release from a contract that they retain some semblance of rights, RFA status basically... and that, like the NHL, signing him to an offer sheet results in a right to match, or compensation based on the size of contract...

I have no problem with that idea...

Nice to see somebody sees where I am going with this. I obviously do not expect any compensation for Desjarlais the way the rules currently sit. However, in an effort to support player continuity on teams I have always been on the side of RFA rules. A team should be allowed to protect a draft pick for the first 4 or 5 yrs of their career. You could allow for an offer sheet window in years 3-5, so that players still have the opportunity to try and max their career earnings.

[theaardvark]

Nice to see somebody sees where I am going with this. I obviously do not expect any compensation for Desjarlais the way the rules currently sit. However, in an effort to support player continuity on teams I have always been on the side of RFA rules. A team should be allowed to protect a draft pick for the first 4 or 5 yrs of their career. You could allow for an offer sheet window in years 3-5, so that players still have the opportunity to try and max their career earnings.

Protecting a football player like you would a hockey player might be a tetch more difficult, as football and hockey careers are not equivalent.

But yeah, retaining rights of a Nat draft pick should go beyond 3 years, again, using a special "retention cap" funding would go a long way for that.  Additional SMS$ that could be used to resign players to un-level the FA playing field...

And to make the NFL window more palatable, and reduce players wanting to sign shorter deals to maintain that guaranteed opportunity, special funding allowing guaranteed money for re-signing/extending players, and an RFA match/compensation upon their return would be equitable. 

[Sir Blue and Gold]

The rules are fine. It is good that there is a redistribution of talent through the existence of a salary cap. We probably could have signed him if we matched offers, but he's worth less to us than to Ottawa at the moment. You can only have so many big contracts. Won't always be the case. One day we'll have a ton of cap space while trying to rebuild a competitive team and we'll be able to get the credit card out.

[GOLDMEMBER]

For Drew I?m sure it was not only about money but also about proximity to home for him.

[pjrocksmb]

For Drew I?m sure it was not only about money but also about proximity to home for him.

Could make it hard to snag him later

[bwiser]

For Drew I?m sure it was not only about money but also about proximity to home for him.

I have to disagree. I am sure Desjarlais would have come back to Winnipeg if he was offered the same amount Ottawa offered but there was no way the Bombers were willing to make him the highest paid O lineman in the league.

[Jesse]

Protecting a football player like you would a hockey player might be a tetch more difficult, as football and hockey careers are not equivalent.

But yeah, retaining rights of a Nat draft pick should go beyond 3 years, again, using a special "retention cap" funding would go a long way for that.  Additional SMS$ that could be used to resign players to un-level the FA playing field...

And to make the NFL window more palatable, and reduce players wanting to sign shorter deals to maintain that guaranteed opportunity, special funding allowing guaranteed money for re-signing/extending players, and an RFA match/compensation upon their return would be equitable. 

There is at least something in place already, as Tyrell Ford's rights stay with us if he gets cut from Green Bay.

Can't remember for how long.

[Blue In BC]

There is at least something in place already, as Tyrell Ford's rights stay with us if he gets cut from Green Bay.

Can't remember for how long.

Two more years but it was being mentioned about some sort of restricted free agency in the conversations.

[blue_or_die]

There is at least something in place already, as Tyrell Ford's rights stay with us if he gets cut from Green Bay.

Can't remember for how long.

That's interesting and I didn't know that it worked that way. To my understanding, when a player is under contract with a CFL team and the team releases the player to try the NFL, that de facto terminates the CFL agreement and the player becomes a "UFA" in the eyes of the CFL. Anything about returning to your original CFL team would be an under-the-table handshake agreement. If I'm wrong about that or something has recently changed, great.

I think a RFA/UFA status would be a good addition (if that already doesn't exist as per above). CFL team retains rights (but only if they have rights, i.e. contract is not about to expire) and when the player returns, they at least come back as an RFA and the OG team has some exclusivity to negotiate. If another team is willing to outbid for services, that other team can compensate the OG team with draft picks. But I don't think that should be applied to a player staying in the CFL and going to FA though. If you want to test FA, you should be unrestricted. Players already take on too much risk and it would be a bad deal to restrict them from maxing out even if it might suck for the team that developed them. Too bad but that's the tradeoff for unguaranteed chrontracts.

Of course if a player's contract is about to expire following the CFL season and the team releases the player to the NFL, like Drew, the player should be considered a UFA when they come back and we would have the same negotiating status as any other team. What happened with Drew IMO is 100% fair.

On that, first of all, this deal is a win-win for Drew and us. Drew is getting PAID so happy for him, and we are making use of our depth and development strategy to NOT pay a guard over 250K and can use salary in other more key areas to remain a chrontender.

I also agree with other comments about Eli being the guy for centre. I don't think he's competing with Gray and believe Gray has done enough to solidify his job as starting LG. I think it's possible Kolan starts as C while Eli gets his feet wet and then eventually becomes starting C by mid season. Kolan is a fabulous depth guy who is versatile and can fill in for injury or jumbos in a pinch. Dobson is the development guy and I believe will get Paddy's job in a year or two, or we lose one or both of our Ts and have to shift some guys around before we find the next bona fide American Ts when we have to cross that bridge.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

That's interesting and I didn't know that it worked that way. To my understanding, when a player is under contract with a CFL team and the team releases the player to try the NFL, that de facto terminates the CFL agreement and the player becomes a "UFA" in the eyes of the CFL. Anything about returning to your original CFL team would be an under-the-table handshake agreement. If I'm wrong about that or something has recently changed, great.

I think a RFA/UFA status would be a good addition (if that already doesn't exist as per above). CFL team retains rights (but only if they have rights, i.e. contract is not about to expire) and when the player returns, they at least come back as an RFA and the OG team has some exclusivity to negotiate. If another team is willing to outbid for services, that other team can compensate the OG team with draft picks. But I don't think that should be applied to a player staying in the CFL and going to FA though. If you want to test FA, you should be unrestricted. Players already take on too much risk and it would be a bad deal to restrict them from maxing out even if it might suck for the team that developed them. Too bad but that's the tradeoff for unguaranteed chrontracts.

Of course if a player's contract is about to expire following the CFL season and the team releases the player to the NFL, like Drew, the player should be considered a UFA when they come back and we would have the same negotiating status as any other team. What happened with Drew IMO is 100% fair.

On that, first of all, this deal is a win-win for Drew and us. Drew is getting PAID so happy for him, and we are making use of our depth and development strategy to NOT pay a guard over 250K and can use salary in other more key areas to remain a chrontender.

I also agree with other comments about Eli being the guy for centre. I don't think he's competing with Gray and believe Gray has done enough to solidify his job as starting LG. I think it's possible Kolan starts as C while Eli gets his feet wet and then eventually becomes starting C by mid season. Kolan is a fabulous depth guy who is versatile and can fill in for injury or jumbos in a pinch. Dobson is the development guy and I believe will get Paddy's job in a year or two, or we lose one or both of our Ts and have to shift some guys around before we find the next bona fide American Ts when we have to cross that bridge.

If a drafted player leaves during his draft contract his rights are retained in the event he comes back before that contract would have expired. So, for example, if Ford spends three years in the NFL he returns a free agent. If he returns this year or next he's back to us under the existing terms with only the time left as if he had played here the entire time.

[blue_or_die]

If a drafted player leaves during his draft contract his rights are retained in the event he comes back before that contract would have expired. So, for example, if Ford spends three years in the NFL he returns a free agent. If he returns this year or next he's back to us under the existing terms with only the time left as if he had played here the entire time.

Thanks.

I'd prefer the clock stop ticking when they head south so there's a chance the CFL club gets 'their' player back even if a number of years go by in the NFL. Not that players would like that deal very much.