2025 SMS increase

[Blue In BC]

Increasing by $400K for 2025!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Too bad teams didn't know that a week ago.

https://3downnation.com/2025/02/05/2025-cfl-salary-cap-limit-jumps-over-400000-due-to-increased-league-revenues/

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/05/2025-salary-cap-increase-driven-by-2024-league-revenue-growth/

TORONTO — The Canadian Football League (CFL) Salary Expenditure Cap for the upcoming season has been set at $6,062,365.

"The strategy we put in place in 2022 has strengthened our league," said Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. "Our extensive product review has yielded a fun, fast and entertaining game – one that attracts attention and inspires people to fall in love with Canadian football. Fans and partners have leaned in, investing in the potential and promise of our great game."

"The past three seasons have seen year-over-year growth in attendance and gameday revenue. Our owners are more committed and stronger than ever before, and the business community has recognized this success in our game. This wave of support has triggered our growth sharing model, signalling a bright future ahead, and we couldn't be more excited."

The amount represents an increase of $412,365 over the $5,650,000 that was negotiated with the CFL Players' Association in the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

This is great news.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Increasing by $400K for 2025!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Too bad teams didn't know that a week ago.

https://3downnation.com/2025/02/05/2025-cfl-salary-cap-limit-jumps-over-400000-due-to-increased-league-revenues/

I'm sure they did?

[theaardvark]

If the teams didn't know, there are guys that haven't signed yet that just saw their salary requests go up 7.5%...

It's not a huge difference, and while it might make the top few players on a roster a few more bucks, there are going to be a lot of players that just renegotiated who are going to be very disgruntled, especially if the teams did know.  That BC locker-room is not going to be fun fr management.

I would assume the minimums and draft pick ELC's just went up as well.

[Blueforlife]

This is awesome

[Blue In BC]

I'm sure they did?

Possibly. Elks either knew or didn't care since they signed anyone and everyone they could. This solves the problem for the Lions that had some potential issues going into the season.

OTOH, there is no indication the Bombers knew. Nothing they've done suggested an increasing in spending so far. Far from it.

Now the question is what do teams do with what might be a surplus going into the season? They could extend some 1 year contracts for some vets with more guaranteed money. That may be something they do at the end of the season to avoid half their rosters becoming potential free agents.

Maybe the league agrees with the CFLPA to increase the minimum ELC level for the season. Could even increase the roster size by another Canadian.

I don't know that it will increase demands from currently unsigned potential free agents. It might but most of the top potential players have committed already.

A large number of those still unsigned may not even be playing in 2025.  Others will be signed as lower cost back up rentals.


Overall this is good for the players.

[theaardvark]

Question:

This is the players $SMS.

Has the front office $SMS changed, or loosened?

Is there a similar "promotional budget" like they gave Rourke for coaches?

[Blue In BC]

Question:

This is the players $SMS.

Has the front office $SMS changed, or loosened?

Is there a similar "promotional budget" like they gave Rourke for coaches?

That wasn't addressed but could also be in the works. The problem with that is teams have staffs in place.

I'm still having issues with the " promo budget " concept. I had thought it was part of the SMS but a sub-set to pay for non football appearances.

There seem to be a bunch of loopholes ( Rourke in particular ) to just use that to sidestep something not in the SMS.

Putting that in the SMS makes more sense. It creates a non football activity structure for work players do. OTOH, giving that much to 1 player doesn't make sense, but it's allowed.

In theory we could have signed Lawler for $285K with $200K as promo money. Regardless it's too much for a receiver, but it's an escape clause that needs to be modified.

[theaardvark]

That wasn't addressed but could also be in the works. The problem with that is teams have staffs in place.

I'm still having issues with the " promo budget " concept. I had thought it was part of the SMS but a sub-set to pay for non football appearances.

There seem to be a bunch of loopholes ( Rourke in particular ) to just use that to sidestep something not in the SMS.

Putting that in the SMS makes more sense. It creates a non football activity structure for work players do. OTOH, giving that much to 1 player doesn't make sense, but it's allowed.

In theory we could have signed Lawler for $285K with $200K as promo money. Regardless it's too much for a receiver, but it's an escape clause that needs to be modified.

Promo money is limited, just like the $SMS.  You can't give every player a promo bonus.  Technically you could give Kenny $200k in promo, and almost nothing to everyone else..

And they have to actually do something to earn that promo bonus.  Guessing the autograph signings with certain players, or the trips to Churchill are our promo funds at work.

[Blue In BC]

Promo money is limited, just like the $SMS.  You can't give every player a promo bonus.  Technically you could give Kenny $200k in promo, and almost nothing to everyone else..

And they have to actually do something to earn that promo bonus.  Guessing the autograph signings with certain players, or the trips to Churchill are our promo funds at work.

The Lions did that with Rourke. The promo money is set with a minimum of $200K with any excess charged to the SMS. In that sense it's the same kind of penalty as with the normal SMS.  It could result in an overage to the set maximum SMS.

It could be argued that the publicity work by Rourke is worth $200K. I'd argue it isn't.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Wow, Ambrosie needs to be congratulated, "Randy...now where did he go?"  Wonder what it was that brought in the extra revenue?  Sports gambling? 

Attendance everywhere else but Wpg. was fairly pathetic last season, imagine what they can do if they start filling the stands once again.  Maybe the CFL has finally turned the corner to profitability and the value of the franchises will leap up.

[Waffler]

One thing I am wondering...

Once the window closes Feb. 9, pending free agents will have an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with the teams they remain under contract with. Every CFL club will be provided any offers the pending free agents received during the weeklong open window timeline.

Teams will have until 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 11 to make an offer to their own free agents. Copies of those proposals must again go to both the CFL office and CFLPA.

Will anybody have a change of heart considering the new SMS? Nothing is in stone... YET.

[Blue In BC]

One thing I am wondering...

Once the window closes Feb. 9, pending free agents will have an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with the teams they remain under contract with. Every CFL club will be provided any offers the pending free agents received during the weeklong open window timeline.

Teams will have until 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 11 to make an offer to their own free agents. Copies of those proposals must again go to both the CFL office and CFLPA.

Will anybody have a change of heart considering the new SMS? Nothing is in stone... YET.

True but have we seen anyone do that in the past? Not often at best.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

One thing I am wondering...

Once the window closes Feb. 9, pending free agents will have an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with the teams they remain under contract with. Every CFL club will be provided any offers the pending free agents received during the weeklong open window timeline.

Teams will have until 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 11 to make an offer to their own free agents. Copies of those proposals must again go to both the CFL office and CFLPA.

Will anybody have a change of heart considering the new SMS? Nothing is in stone... YET.

I'm sure they checked back in with their previous team before making the announcement, Ricky Walker not reporting to the Stamps is the only player I can recall that changed his mind after agreeing to sign.

[Blue In BC]

I'm sure they checked back in with their previous team before making the announcement, Ricky Walker not reporting to the Stamps is the only player I can recall that changed his mind after agreeing to sign.

He also choose to retire.