(Unofficial) Kenny Lawler signs with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

[Blue In BC]

Almost too good to be true. I'm not quite clear on how the tampering period works once a player has agreed in principle to a contract. Do the Elks have an opportunity to negotiate for his return now knowing what his deal is worth? Or does this become written in stone once free agency happens.

Looking forward to seeing him back. What this costs us elsewhere on the roster will be somewhat of a question.  Bailey and Ellingson likely won't be back but it does change the priority of free agency in an unexpected way.

Might be a few potential free agents jump on the band wagon.

[Blue In BC]

Copied from google search. This would indicate the time has come and gone.

When the window closes, teams will enter an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with their pending free agents. At the start of that 48-hour period, the league will provide teams with the registered offers their pending free agents received. Teams will have until Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. ET to make an offer to their pending free agents. They?ll have to provide a copy of the offer to the CFL and the CFLPA.

At the end of that 48-hour period, the player will have from 10 a.m. to noon ET on Feb. 8 to select any offer made to him from any club. If he chooses one of these offers, the chosen team has to notify the CFL, who will then notify the other eight teams in the league. Conversely, if the player doesn?t accept any of these offers, he?ll enter free agency with any prior offers made from any team withdrawn and no longer available for acceptance.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Almost too good to be true. I'm not quite clear on how the tampering period works once a player has agreed in principle to a contract. Do the Elks have an opportunity to negotiate for his return now knowing what his deal is worth? Or does this become written in stone once free agency happens.

Looking forward to seeing him back. What this costs us elsewhere on the roster will be somewhat of a question.  Bailey and Ellingson likely won't be back but it does change the priority of free agency in an unexpected way.

Might be a few potential free agents jump on the band wagon.

Correct. Players can't actually sign and have it registered until free agency opens. But since teams can talk to players, players and teams and agree in principle which basically means it's done except for filing it with the league when free agency officially opens. I suppose a player could still walk away but it's unlikely.

[pjrocksmb]

Our air attack just went from good to deadly.

Can't touch us.

[Bomber Diehard]

Loaded at receivers- now a Field Goal kicker

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Copied from google search. This would indicate the time has come and gone.

When the window closes, teams will enter an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with their pending free agents. At the start of that 48-hour period, the league will provide teams with the registered offers their pending free agents received. Teams will have until Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. ET to make an offer to their pending free agents. They?ll have to provide a copy of the offer to the CFL and the CFLPA.

At the end of that 48-hour period, the player will have from 10 a.m. to noon ET on Feb. 8 to select any offer made to him from any club. If he chooses one of these offers, the chosen team has to notify the CFL, who will then notify the other eight teams in the league. Conversely, if the player doesn?t accept any of these offers, he?ll enter free agency with any prior offers made from any team withdrawn and no longer available for acceptance.

Super confusing, the bombers just signed Lawler but won't know Schoen's status for sure until the NFL window closes on Feb. 14.  I think there will be some backlash from certain teams regarding these "unofficial announcements" coming out early and stealing the thunder away from opening day signings. 

[Blue In BC]

Super confusing, the bombers just signed Lawler but won't know Schoen's status for sure until the NFL window closes on Feb. 14.  I think there will be some backlash from certain teams regarding these "unofficial announcements" coming out early and stealing the thunder away from opening day signings. 

That's not how it works Feb 8th is the closure date same as the tampering period.


Any CFL player ? not just pending free agents ? is eligible to use the NFL window, which opened Dec. 13, 2021 and closes on Feb. 8, 2022.

[gobombersgo]

Farhan Lalji:
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate. @CFLonTSN

[the paw]

Farhan Lalji:
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate. @CFLonTSN

That seems like the correct number, when you consider what Demski, Gittens, Weineke have all signed for.   I imagine the Elks told him straight up he wasn't getting the same as last year, so it was a question of where his best fit was going to be. 

The only one who might top that number is Lewis, and I wouldn't think by much. 

[bluengold204]

Farhan Lalji:
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate. @CFLonTSN

Yikes, dangerously overpriced

[TecnoGenius]

BREAKING: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have agreed in principle to a two-year contract with receiver Kenny Lawler. Details unclear at this point. #wfp

This is wild, and completely out of left field.  Before I hit this part of the thread I would have bet big money we'd never sign Lawler.

Holy Shite! If Schoen comes back, wow we are friggin loaded!
Walters bangin em out of the park!

This could signal Schoen might be going... If we have both Lawler and Schoen, we're going to be deadly.

I think there will be some backlash from certain teams regarding these "unofficial announcements" coming out early and stealing the thunder away from opening day signings. 

Who knows how it "leaked".  It might not be the team, it might have been Lawler, or his agent, or who knows who else that is in on the chain.  How can teams get mad then?  Who to blame?

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Farhan Lalji:
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate. @CFLonTSN

Wowza. Collaros, Lawler and Demski account for approximately 1.055M of a 5.5M salary cap. That's like 20 percent or so. Be good and stay healthy I guess. Ha.

[gobombersgo]

Who knows how it "leaked".  It might not be the team, it might have been Lawler, or his agent, or who knows who else that is in on the chain.  How can teams get mad then?  Who to blame?

Yeah, it was all over the media. Now Lawler has also posted his goodbyes to Edmonton and the Elks organization on Instagram.

[TecnoGenius]

Farhan Lalji:
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate. @CFLonTSN

Yikes, dangerously overpriced

Yes, I wouldn't have signed such a deal.  Where is all this SMS coming from??  It's like every team thinks they have $1M more to spend in 2023.  Weird.

Last year we all were laughing at EDM for crazily overpaying $250k.  Now we are $260k.  So laugh at ourselves?  It didn't work out for EDM.  Hopefully we fare better.

But, I trust that KW has all the beans accounted for and knows what he is doing.  Lawler has been in the league enough he should qualify for FAKENAT status and thus can be on the field a whack ton in place of a 2nd NAT?  More reps for McCrae too?

I'm not so worried about the 2024 price.  We can ditch him before the cutoff if we can't afford it, assuming he's not totally lighting up the league.

From a "puzzle piece" "why did we lose the GC" perspective having Lawler in 2023 will definitely help.  Our receiving corps in '22 GC was really lacklustre that night.

[BLUEBOMBER]

Collaros should light things up if he is still healthy.  With Demski, Schoen and Lawler I don't see why he wouldn't.  I am more worried about his health though as he is starting to get up there in age.  I don't think Ellingson will be back and I don't think Wolitarsky is as explosive as he used to be.  I would like to see Olivera step up his game.. every game though.  Without a good running game, other teams will adjust their defence.