Bomber Free Agents

[Jesse]

This is not a normal year.  It is GC at home year.  It is "end of an era" year for many players. 

This is NOT the time to let $SMS b a deciding factor in a key player's retention.

Remembering that salary cap is calculated after the season is over and GMs have no way of predicting how the season will go in regards to injuries or players becoming available later in the season.

No one goes over the salary cap before the season starts. We may plan for a smaller reserve than normal (which we already did this year), or we may add in a late player if someone comes up.

Are we going to offer every single one of our FA's the highest offer? No. Are we going to add multiple top FAs? also no.

[Blue In BC]

Remembering that salary cap is calculated after the season is over and GMs have no way of predicting how the season will go in regards to injuries or players becoming available later in the season.

No one goes over the salary cap before the season starts. We may plan for a smaller reserve than normal (which we already did this year), or we may add in a late player if someone comes up.

Are we going to offer every single one of our FA's the highest offer? No. Are we going to add multiple top FAs? also no.

Budgets have contingencies but you're right. Some times thing are under and some are over. On a weekly basis a team can see if the weekly calculation is + or -.

Bombers didn't have many players on the 1 game IR for the season. That might have saved some SMS. We didn't bring in many players after TC. Whitehead and Taylor. Even then Taylor was not on the AR during the season.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

You still have to build your roster within the parameters of the SMS.

The last thing Walters should do is take the Taman Approach to win it all at home.

And if players want to remain part of this organization to try for a sixth straight Grey Cup berth to win it all at home, they should probably put self-interest aside and be willing to consider taking a haircut in order to try and get there.

FIFO.

Agree, Walters stays the course and remains fiscally responsible so he can also field a competitive team in 2026, 2027, 2028.  You don't blow your wad for the GC and start over again from scratch, there is no guarantee they win and spoiled Bomber fans would show zero tolerance for a complete rebuild afterward. Remember the follies of Taman!

[theaardvark]

Agree, Walters stays the course and remains fiscally responsible so he can also field a competitive team in 2026, 2027, 2028.  You don't blow your wad for the GC and start over again from scratch, there is no guarantee they win and spoiled Bomber fans would show zero tolerance for a complete rebuild afterward. Remember the follies of Taman!

This team is in rebuild in 2026.  There is no doubt a large part of the team is gone after 2025.  A LARGE part.  Especially if we win the GC at home.

Bryant, Neufeld, Thomas, Jefferson, Collaros, Bighill... I don't think any will play in 2026 if we win the cup, or even if we do not.

So, blowing the $SMS to keep the core guys we will build 2026 and beyond with becomes very important.  Ford, Holm, Haba, Jones, Cole, Dobson, Lofton, Lawler, Schoen... these are key guys after 2025.  Signing them for 2025 has double meaning.  Both for 2025 cup at home, and beyond.

[blue_gold_84]

This team is in rebuild in 2026.

Nah.

[theaardvark]

Nah.

You don't think losing your QB, your best DL, HOF LT and other key parts is "rebuild" territory?

OK...

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

This team is in rebuild in 2026.  There is no doubt a large part of the team is gone after 2025.  A LARGE part.  Especially if we win the GC at home.

Bryant, Neufeld, Thomas, Jefferson, Collaros, Bighill... I don't think any will play in 2026 if we win the cup, or even if we do not.

So, blowing the $SMS to keep the core guys we will build 2026 and beyond with becomes very important.  Ford, Holm, Haba, Jones, Cole, Dobson, Lofton, Lawler, Schoen... these are key guys after 2025.  Signing them for 2025 has double meaning.  Both for 2025 cup at home, and beyond.

Rebuild began last off-season and will continue this off-season, it's gradual but continual.  Something like 23 players changes from last year.

[blue_gold_84]

You don't think losing your QB, your best DL, HOF LT and other key parts is "rebuild" territory?

OK...

I can't and won't answer a silly leading question like that.

[Jesse]

Agree, Walters stays the course and remains fiscally responsible so he can also field a competitive team in 2026, 2027, 2028.  You don't blow your wad for the GC and start over again from scratch, there is no guarantee they win and spoiled Bomber fans would show zero tolerance for a complete rebuild afterward. Remember the follies of Taman!

CFL isn't like other league's in that sense though. I can't think of much you could do in 2025 that would after 2026 negatively.

If you go over the cap, you pay the fine and move on.

[Blue In BC]

CFL isn't like other league's in that sense though. I can't think of much you could do in 2025 that would after 2026 negatively.

If you go over the cap, you pay the fine and move on.

A team can go from 1st to last in the course of one off season. Re-build / re-load is every year. The team that finds the right combination of players at the right money tends to do well. I think every team finds a few new gems each season at ELC money and that helps.

When a player has good success in his 1st contract then retaining him becomes a problem sometimes. The market place means some will move on. NFL option year compounds that as well.

Retaining a few too many older vets can mean you need to change a larger number the following year. IE: You don't want to keep 12 players this year and then try to replace them all the following year.

It's a balancing act of retaining experience but also bringing alone the younger less expensive players and fitting it all into the SMS.

I'd target about 6 new starters in a new season as the max I'd like to imagine. We exceeded that in 2024 and hence the slow start.

[dd]

I think the strong teams - Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, focus on retaining as many of their impact FA's as they can vs go the FA route, vs the weaker teams, who need to 'poach' an impact player from one of the stronger rosters in an attempt to make their rosters stronger.

I don't see Winnipeg, Toronto or Montreal losing many of the quality FA's, as they are solid franchises with good clubhouses,  hence they won't suffer a huge talent lose and will remain at the top of the league. The weaker teams, will pay the big ticket for 1 or 2 FA, yet still don't have the roster depth to move up to a top seed position. Hamilton and Ottawa have been weak for a few years now and I don't see that changing. Same for Calgary and Edmonton, they're such a mess god himself couldn't turn their teams around.

[Pete]

I think the strong teams - Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, focus on retaining as many of their impact FA's as they can vs go the FA route, vs the weaker teams, who need to 'poach' an impact player from one of the stronger rosters in an attempt to make their rosters stronger.

I don't see Winnipeg, Toronto or Montreal losing many of the quality FA's, as they are solid franchises with good clubhouses,  hence they won't suffer a huge talent lose and will remain at the top of the league. The weaker teams, will pay the big ticket for 1 or 2 FA, yet still don't have the roster depth to move up to a top seed position. Hamilton and Ottawa have been weak for a few years now and I don't see that changing. Same for Calgary and Edmonton, they're such a mess god himself couldn't turn their teams around.

The trouble with success as we know well, is that with it players want to be financially rewarded. Coxie in toronto for example, alexander in mtrl. Ly toronto lost Pickett, Barlow and more.
Some FA will be available.
I will say mtrl has done a great job so far in being proactive to extend key players and have just resigned Beverette. It seems the closer a player gets to free agency the more expensive it gets

[Pete]

I think we go into next season with the lineup that gives us the best shot at winning the cup. Going for younger developing talent will wait.
For example at safety why not look at Purifoy who can backup Kramdl as well
At backup qb maybe Mair becomes affordable.(Given they will not move Collaros)
Do we look at Santo Knox?
Likely means Neufeld.Jefferson Wolitarski Bryant fit into this as well

[Blue In BC]

I think we go into next season with the lineup that gives us the best shot at winning the cup. Going for younger developing talent will wait.
For example at safety why not look at Purifoy who can backup Kramdl as well
At backup qb maybe Mair becomes affordable.(Given they will not move Collaros)
Do we look at Santo Knox?

That's a loaded statement to determine which players give us the best shot at winning. Nobody is suggesting we give up the chance of winning by replacing every vet in order to develop new younger players.

Many vets will be in line to earn a higher contracts. By definition that means we lose others due to SMS and we have more rookies join the team either as starters or back ups. You can't just give everybody a raise and not expect to see rookies join the team.

Football has to be forward thinking as well as winning in the immediate time frame. This is true whether you finished 1st or last or whether the Grey Cup is in your home stadium.

As far as Purifoy, he's a bit of a headcase and doesn't fit O'Shea's expectations. Santos-Knox would be a good addition but we have Jones, Cole and Ayers with Bighill still wanting to play.

It's hard to say who we lose in free agency but I'd be more interested in targeting a DL like C. Sayles if the numbers work out. Ceresna was another one mentioned. Our DL is the weakest part of our defence.

I haven't checked to see who else might be available for an addition at safety if we don't re-sign Alexander. That's still a TBD. He's only 31 so he's still got some miles left.  His stats are about the same as Purifoy.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Here's who I wouldn't bring back:

Chris Streveler (next year barring a big surprise might be): Collaros, Wilson, Dolegala/Grainer)
Johnny Augustine
Dalton Schoen
Lucky Whitehead
Patrick Neufeld (somewhat on the fence, not sure what we'll get in another year).
Celestin Haba (a very disappointing year 2, outplayed by Garbutt)
Jake Thomas
Adam Bighill