2024 Blue Bombers Free Agency

[blue_or_die]

BOO has shown very well in his limited play8ng time and I don?t understand why we didn?t give him more opportunity to play and sit Woli. I think he ll catch on somewhere and be very productive, just wish it was with us.

You don't sit a reliable vet 5th receiver for someone who's less of a known commodity at a position out of the spotlight regardless of upside. And I say this as a BOLO fan.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/11/29/cfl-cas-top-30-pending-free-agents-9/

A lot of big names on that list, with Oliveira in the top spot.

Other Blue Bombers: Schoen (4), Jefferson (13), Houston (20), Hardrick (26), Brown (27).

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/11/29/cfl-cas-top-30-pending-free-agents-9/

A lot of big names on that list, with Oliveira in the top spot.

Other Blue Bombers: Schoen (4), Jefferson (13), Houston (20), Hardrick (26), Brown (27).

Brown should be #1 on that list based on team interest.

[Pigskin]

Brady, Schoen, Brown, and Bailey. I can't see us sign more then two of these guys.

Brady will give the NFL a shot, but will be back and in Blue and Gold.
Schoen needs to be locked down on a 2-3 year deal. Could be the best WR in the CFL.
Brown wants to start, and unless the Bombers are trading ZC8 that's not happening here. 
I don't think Bailey takes a hair cut this year. Have to decide Bailey or Schoen, can't see us signing both.
And then there's Lawler at $300K??

Leake, would be an excellent pickup. He could replace McCrae and the often injured Grant.

[theaardvark]

Brown should be #1 on that list based on team interest.

Has any team declared an interest in him?

[Jesse]

Brown should be #1 on that list based on team interest.

The kid with potential comes in behind every established all star, lol.

[dd]

You sit a reliable vet 5th receiver for someone who's less of a known commodity at a position out of the spotlight regardless of upside. And I say this as a BOLO fan.

We know Wolitarskys capabilities and upside, we don?t know BOO s, he?s younger and more athletic. I d give him a chance to show us his talent vs dress a guy who catches the 10 yard out. If push came to shove I d keep BOO

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Has any team declared an interest in him?

They can't officially do that until free agency opens, which is in Feb..

[TecnoGenius]

No passing TDs in the last two GCs. And, only 2 in 4 GCs.

Not concerned.  The Bailey TD in 2019 should have counted, so there's one more.  And we had Strev throw the TD in '19.

Zach is clearly not asked to throw the big TDs.  We really only made 1 TD passing shot in the MTL GC... the INT.  And just like in the TOR GC, the INT would have been the difference between winning and losing.

Our game plan is clearly to pound it in.  Arguably that Lawler INT shot should have been more pounding, or some wacky misdirection Lapo-esque play.  That series was too predictable.  Pound pound pound pound 30YL EZ shot INT.

I think we (Buck/MOS) hamstring Zach in big games.  He's capable of airing it out early and often and getting big 60Yers in stride but we simply don't let him.  Ya, there's a chance there is a go route on many plays and Zach shies away, but my money is on Zach being told to play it safe.  The saddest part is we know all this and yet we got picked off in the MTL GC.  That should not have happened.  Should have pounded it or put it up way at the back where only Lawler could get it, not some late crossing FS or HB.

[TecnoGenius]

And he is 2 for 2 when Andrew Harris played for us, and 0 for 2 without him.  Does anyone really believe AH was the deciding factor for us NOT winning either of the last 2 GCs? 

You don't want to ask me that question!  Does AH get 5-7Y on that final run on our last (real) series in the GC, instead of the 0Y stuff that Brady did?  AH, when he was here, in post-season games, would turn those 0Y stuffs into 5Y, especially in grind-out time to seal the win.

If we had 2nd & 5 on that final drive then we have the whole book to get the other 5, and we proved all night we were great at 2nd & medium.  Then Zach doesn't take the sack and we bleed another 60s off the clock and have a chance at another 1st down.

Not saying AH-aged-now could have done it, but AH-when-he-was-here likely does.  It's a bit of a Brady-letdown to me to cap his season off with that failure.  But not his failure alone: Buck shouldn't have run it on 1st right there.  The game was right their in our hands and the whole O blew it.  I guess MTL wanted it more.

[J5V]

Not concerned.  The Bailey TD in 2019 should have counted, so there's one more.  And we had Strev throw the TD in '19.

Zach is clearly not asked to throw the big TDs.  We really only made 1 TD passing shot in the MTL GC... the INT. 

That reminds me ... on that INT, I was not real happy with Lawler's effort there. Isn't he supposed to be the guy to come down with those 50-50 balls? How does he not at least prevent the INT on that play?

[Doublezero]

Regardless of where Dru Brown signs next season (I hope it's the CFL and Winnipeg) how much will he be paid?
There's much speculation there will be multiple bids for his very obvious talent.
Based on this list of top 15 CFL QBs in 2023, where do folks see Brown, a first-year starter, in 2024?

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/17/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-quarterbacks-for-2023-season/

As there might be a bidding war, I see him falling somewhere between Vernon Adams Jr ($350,000) and Taylor Cornelius ($432,000).
It's an interesting list, BC got fair value out of VAJ, I'd say and Cornelius, among others, way overpaid obviously.
If it were not for the fact that Cornelius is guaranteed 50% of his salary in 2024 - I could see Elks going hard after Brown and just cutting Cornelius altogether.

[dd]

That reminds me ... on that INT, I was not real happy with Lawler's effort there. Isn't he supposed to be the guy to come down with those 50-50 balls? How does he not at least prevent the INT on that play?

My thoughts exactly. Sure Zack SHOULD have thrown it to where either Lawler catches it or nobody does, BUT he didn?t, yes the Als player made a great play on the ball but Lawler should have been in there trying to knock the ball away, the same way th Als D pried the ball out of BOs hands. The Als simply made plays where we didn?t and boom game over

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Regardless of where Dru Brown signs next season (I hope it's the CFL and Winnipeg) how much will he be paid?
There's much speculation there will be multiple bids for his very obvious talent.
Based on this list of top 15 CFL QBs in 2023, where do folks see Brown, a first-year starter, in 2024?

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/17/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-quarterbacks-for-2023-season/

As there might be a bidding war, I see him falling somewhere between Vernon Adams Jr ($350,000) and Taylor Cornelius ($432,000).
It's an interesting list, BC got fair value out of VAJ, I'd say and Cornelius, among others, way overpaid obviously.
If it were not for the fact that Cornelius is guaranteed 50% of his salary in 2024 - I could see Elks going hard after Brown and just cutting Cornelius altogether.

$432,000 was max. money for Cornelius, hard money was $392,000 and I honestly can't see him getting paid that as he lost the starting job half way through the season.  There must have been some conditions tied to that payment and he probably failed to achieve most of them.  The Elks better find a way out of that contract as it will curtail them from signing any free agents.  Super dumb.

[TBURGESS]

I see him more like Arbuckle $130K-230K.