2025 Free Agency (other CFL teams Signings/News)

[Blueforlife]

Receivers are important but getting good ones that stay healthy are also just as important.

Agree with that as well.

[Blue In BC]

I am entitled to my opinion and you are yours.  I believe Lawler earned his paycheck last year and I would have been happy to have him back at under 250k.  We rarely agree on anything on here and that's ok.  We can value and like different players based on our own opinions and preferences.  Lawler's big catch radius, ability catch game changing deep balls and amazing physical talents makes him more valuable in my opinion.  Like I said I can see why you liked Lewis.  Let's leave it at that. 

Opinions are based in facts. Lewis had a much better season that Lawler. He played all 18 games and had 6 more TD's than Lawler. In 2024 he was the highest paid receiver in the CFL IIRC.

Lawller missed 20 games in the last 3 seasons. Lewis missed 7.

[Blueforlife]

Opinions are based in facts. Lewis had a much better season that Lawler. He played all 18 games and had 6 more TD's than Lawler. In 2024 he was the highest paid receiver in the CFL IIRC.

Lawller missed 20 games in the last 3 seasons. Lewis missed 7.

How each person forms an opinion is different, your approach above is based on games played and yardage.  Others might bring in other factors or facts.
I stand by my opinion.  We all have one.  Yes facts that you presented above play a role but we all have our own preferences for who we would like to sign at what price.  Did you ready my post above how I agreed that the health of a receiver is important.  I wasn't comparing the two, others brought that up.  I commented on the cost of Lewis and had previously stated that I believe that Lawler earned his paycheck in a previous season.  This year is different as the market changed.  I love Lawler and really like Lewis.  Based on their asking prices I can see why management passed on both.  Time will tell if these players earn their salaries this year,  history will tell us that's likely.  I am happy with the direction we went and I would have been happy to sign Lawler but can't break the bank as I believe we need to spend money on our OL, DL, DB.  I believe provided why believe Lawler earned his money last year based on the facts about his game play.  I provided my take and others provided theirs, we can move on please.  I believe there is room on here for everyone's opinion.  Allowing space for that is important and how they incorporate facts into that.  I value your contributions and knowledge to the forum, I would appreciate it if you and others did the same for me.

I was well aware the Lawler was hurt a lot and didn't produce the yardage that Lewis did.

Earlier in the off-season I would have broke the bank on Kenny but now we lost some important pieces, I am happy we didn't.  Gotta sore up the roster imo in the trenches and back end defense.

[TBURGESS]

You are welcome to your opinion, but if it's not based in fact, it's not worth anything. It's certainly not equal to fact based opinions no matter how much you believe it. 

[Blue In BC]

How each person forms an opinion is different, your approach above is based on games played and yardage.  Others might bring in other factors or facts.
I stand by my opinion.  We all have one.  Yes facts that you presented above play a role but we all have our own preferences for who we would like to sign at what price.  Did you ready my post above how I agreed that the health of a receiver is important.  I wasn't comparing the two, others brought that up.  I commented on the cost of Lewis and had previously stated that I believe that Lawler earned his paycheck in a previous season.  This year is different as the market changed.  I love Lawler and really like Lewis.  Based on their asking prices I can see why management passed on both.  Time will tell if these players earn their salaries this year,  history will tell us that's likely.  I am happy with the direction we went and I would have been happy to sign Lawler but can't break the bank as I believe we need to spend money on our OL, DL, DB.  I believe provided why believe Lawler earned his money last year based on the facts about his game play.  I provided my take and others provided theirs, we can move on please.  I believe there is room on here for everyone's opinion.  Allowing space for that is important and how they incorporate facts into that.  I value your contributions and knowledge to the forum, I would appreciate it if you and others did the same for me.

I was well aware the Lawler was hurt a lot and didn't produce the yardage that Lewis did.

Earlier in the off-season I would have broke the bank on Kenny but now we lost some important pieces, I am happy we didn't.  Gotta sore up the roster imo in the trenches and back end defense.

Lewis has played more games, had more passes thrown to him, caught more and has had more TD's. He's had a longer and better career.

Preference has nothing to do with it. In fact I'd say preference is an emotional response and not a subjective response.

Per today's comments on CFL.CA, Lawler is the highest paid non QB in the CFL. Lewis sounds like a bargain compared to Lawler's money.  Considering the QB's that each will have throwing to these two receivers, It's fair to think the Lewis/ Brown combination will have a better year. Assuming everyone stays healthy.

[dd]

You are welcome to your opinion, but if it's not based in fact, it's not worth anything. It's certainly not equal to fact based opinions no matter how much you believe it.

Exactly!!!

[theaardvark]

Lewis and Lawler are game changers, no doubt about it.  They can turn momentum around on a dime, that is a fact.

I don't think MOS or WFC is a team that thrives on the big play. We are a lunch bucket team, a dink and dunk team, a run heavy team.

Would a Lewis or Lawler be good to have?  Any team would love them.  But do we need them?  I think we will find our own way to win games without them...

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Lewis has played more games, had more passes thrown to him, caught more and has had more TD's. He's had a longer and better career. 

Preference has nothing to do with it. In fact I'd say preference is an emotional response and not a subjective response.

Per today's comments on CFL.CA, Lawler is the highest paid non QB in the CFL. Lewis sounds like a bargain compared to Lawler's money.  Considering the QB's that each will have throwing to these two receivers, It's fair to think the Lewis/ Brown combination will have a better year. Assuming everyone stays healthy.

Pretty happy they're moving back towards the win by committee approach at receiver rather than pay the star big and put the world on his shoulders. Mainly because talented receivers the caliber of Reggie White and Sterns are almost always available and can be replaced at the drop of the hat at a reasonable cost if injured or not working out, no muss no fuss.  Talented vet. receivers like Kyran Moore or Lucky Whitehead are always looking for the chance to extend their careers one more year.

Schoen and Demski are the only 2 receivers they have that can't be replaced easily without a serious drop off.  Key to the receiver by committee approach is spreading the ball around and not overly focusing on one or two targets to carry the load.  Many QB's are good at this but Zach hasn't done this well for a number of years, he tends to pick a couple of favourites every game and mostly focuses on them.

[Blue In BC]

Pretty happy they're moving back towards the win by committee approach at receiver rather than pay the star big and put the world on his shoulders. Mainly because talented receivers the caliber of Reggie White and Sterns are almost always available and can be replaced at the drop of the hat at a reasonable cost if injured or not working out, no muss no fuss.  Talented receivers like Kyran Moore or Lucky Whitehead are always looking for the chance to extend their careers one more year.

Schoen and Demski are the only 2 receivers they have that can't be replaced easily without a serious drop off.  Key to the receiver by committee approach is spreading the ball around and not overly focusing on one or two targets to carry the load.  Many QB's are good at this but Zach hasn't done this well for a number of years, he tends to pick a couple of favourites every game and mostly focuses on them.

I don't entirely disagree with that concept. I do question where we spent the money we saved on offence. In theory we expected a bigger signing on defence as the trade off.

It's not clear we achieved that or even in fact spent as much SMS in 2025 as in 2024?

[DM83]

Yup,
Whaat the brain trust is doing or not doing sucks.  This will be the last season of aging vets and the brain trust don't appear to be putting together a team for a grey cup winning season for us.

[Jesse]

I don't entirely disagree with that concept. I do question where we spent the money we saved on offence. In theory we expected a bigger signing on defence as the trade off.

It's not clear we achieved that or even in fact spent as much SMS in 2025 as in 2024?

I think we signed 8 FA's with CFL experience that will be for greater than CFL minimums.

Then Tony Jones, Holm, Lofton probably got decent raises over their last contract with us.

It all adds up. Depth over a couple high end contracts.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I think we signed 8 FA's with CFL experience that will be for greater than CFL minimums.

Then Tony Jones, Holm, Lofton probably got decent raises over their last contract with us.

It all adds up. Depth over a couple high end contracts.

Holm took a cut and Lofton and Jones received bumps, but haven't established themselves as as anything beyond average positional players yet, so no big raises.  I wouldn't be surprised if they had to pay Logan around $120-130k to leave Calgary, he's an attractive asset any team could use.

[theaardvark]

Yup,
Whaat the brain trust is doing or not doing sucks.  This will be the last season of aging vets and the brain trust don't appear to be putting together a team for a grey cup winning season for us.

What are you talking about?

Every year we lose vets, and every TC we bring in loads of talent to try and replace them.  And when they can't, they dabble in FA.

What they are or are not doing had worked for 5 consecutive GC appearances.  If this method had yielded  5 years of missed playoffs, have at it.  But this method really seems successful.

[Blueforlife]

Lewis has played more games, had more passes thrown to him, caught more and has had more TD's. He's had a longer and better career.

Preference has nothing to do with it. In fact I'd say preference is an emotional response and not a subjective response.

Per today's comments on CFL.CA, Lawler is the highest paid non QB in the CFL. Lewis sounds like a bargain compared to Lawler's money.  Considering the QB's that each will have throwing to these two receivers, It's fair to think the Lewis/ Brown combination will have a better year. Assuming everyone stays healthy.

Preference has a lot to do with it.  Nobody here is right or wrong, just fans commenting on a pro ball club and putting our two cents in.  I'll continue to do that.  There is a place here for everyone's input, fact based, preference based, random opinions etc.  The benefit of this forum is that it's inclusive and diverse.

We are allowed to post our things that include emotions.  I have provided my opinion based on how I value Kenny and Lewis based on a number of factors, including personal preference, facts, costs and my familiarity of their game and what they bring as a football players.

Your posting style and how you approach what you bring to the forum is not the only way to contribute here.  You bring a wealth of experience and have some rock solid ideas and opinions.  Allowing space to for others to post how they like is equally important imo. 

Pretty happy they're moving back towards the win by committee approach at receiver rather than pay the star big and put the world on his shoulders. Mainly because talented receivers the caliber of Reggie White and Sterns are almost always available and can be replaced at the drop of the hat at a reasonable cost if injured or not working out, no muss no fuss.  Talented vet. receivers like Kyran Moore or Lucky Whitehead are always looking for the chance to extend their careers one more year.

Schoen and Demski are the only 2 receivers they have that can't be replaced easily without a serious drop off.  Key to the receiver by committee approach is spreading the ball around and not overly focusing on one or two targets to carry the load.  Many QB's are good at this but Zach hasn't done this well for a number of years, he tends to pick a couple of favourites every game and mostly focuses on them.

Sums up my thoughts really well, I also like our approach, attack our offense by committee with some value picks.  Might pay off as allows us to be a swiss army knife.  Might hurt a bit if we don't find the knock out punch, big play guy.  I am very confident in our approach but it also depends on the guys we signed to be productive and healthy and also to find a couple new faces in camp.  Nice to see folks with a common thought process, very refreshing reading your comments and we are seeing thinks from a similar lens.

I don't entirely disagree with that concept. I do question where we spent the money we saved on offence. In theory we expected a bigger signing on defence as the trade off.

It's not clear we achieved that or even in fact spent as much SMS in 2025 as in 2024?

Exactly what I want, save in one area a spend on another.  I want $ put on the OL, DL and a stud DB (also willing to see what camp brings or more value signing)

You are welcome to your opinion, but if it's not based in fact, it's not worth anything. It's certainly not equal to fact based opinions no matter how much you believe it.

You haven't allowed space for my opinion, the tone of your post and previous ones indicate that.  My posts are based on a variety of things generally, facts, my experience watching ball for decades, my knowledge of the leagues players, coaching and management and understanding of the CFL.  We are allowed to have opinions on there, there is no right or wrong on many issues, it's a complex debate.  I do value facts and have routinely used them at times to make my point and will continue to do so.  In this case I believe the fact that these two receivers priced themselves out of the Bombers play.  The fact is Walters has often used a conservative approach to signing players, often not breaking the bank early in free agency but rather relying on drafting, camp and other ways to find talent.  Of course he also has done a great job signing key stars that will continue to contribute to the ball club.

It's clear you don't value what I post and I encourage you and others that feel this way to ignore my contributions as it really bring little value to this place imo. 

Exactly!!!

Everyone is entitled to post on this forum, they way they please, as long as they follow the rules.  You often post many things that are based on your opinion, not facts.  I believe most people do from time to time and that's fine.  It's allowed and helps bring balance to the forum as it bring diversity in the content provided.  No right or wrong here just a good debate about all things CFL imo.

Yup,
Whaat the brain trust is doing or not doing sucks.  This will be the last season of aging vets and the brain trust don't appear to be putting together a team for a grey cup winning season for us.

I disagree with everything said here.  We are in a state of change this year.  Lots of vets gone, lots retained and lot of new faces.  Also too early to know what we have.  I don't see anything sucking at the moment in Bomberville, management is pretty consistent in their approach and it's done nothing but bring success and I see that continuing.  Yes some vets this year will likely retire but I believe you are overstating this a wee bit.

What are you talking about?

Every year we lose vets, and every TC we bring in loads of talent to try and replace them.  And when they can't, they dabble in FA.

What they are or are not doing had worked for 5 consecutive GC appearances.  If this method had yielded  5 years of missed playoffs, have at it.  But this method really seems successful.

Agree all.  Some have a hard time seeing the forest through the trees.  While we might not all agree on where we are headed, it's hard in my mind to question the system that like you said have brought nothing short of amazing and a mini dynasty to boot! Go blue, patience will pay off, I sure hope anyway.  Bomber brass isn't done yet building this club, let's wait till the flowers grow before we over analyze what this club is.  I actually won't judge them too much until labour day.  We have lost a few key cogs but hopefully we can find success with who we signed, a few surprises in camp and a couple more strategic players to target in FA.

The way some folks are speaking about our coaches and players, its almost like they forgot our success and have already written this year off.  There is room on here for that opinion but I have certainly not seen it that way for a very long time.  I have been so happy with what MOS developed here, what Hall created and how management has brought so much stability.  All rooted in a great QB, best running game in the league for a long time and a killer D.  Change is in the air in Bomberland, I think we are on the tail end of this great run but I would like it to run another decade and there is possibility of that happening as the culture we created and consistency in management has laid an strong foundation.  I expect an average O that will be great at the end of the season, an rock solid defense as long as our DL an DB depth improves and some good coaching that will only improve over time.  I expect a slow start and strong finish again.  My biggest concern is the OL, we live and die with that.  Protect Zach and run the ball well and everything else should fall in place.   Also as always have strong CDN depth, that look a slight hit this season thus far.

Thanks for the balance you have brought to the debate here. 

Lewis and Lawler are game changers, no doubt about it.  They can turn momentum around on a dime, that is a fact.

I don't think MOS or WFC is a team that thrives on the big play. We are a lunch bucket team, a dink and dunk team, a run heavy team.

Would a Lewis or Lawler be good to have?  Any team would love them.  But do we need them?  I think we will find our own way to win games without them...

agree all, while I hate to admit it, yes we will move away from the big play a bit, I sure loved the bombs and runs over the years, that's harder to do unless you have top end talent at receiver and a top OL.  The diversity in our offense will be key, spread the ball out, rely on the run and yes a little dink and dunk, a little more on yac, we got a few gadget guys.  Still need to stretch the D but I think you might have recipe for what we might do.  That said find a burner or two and that deep ball might be right back where is was last few years when it was so effective.  Regardless, this team lives or dies with the run game.  Pound em in the 4th quarter and win by dominating the LOS.  Love seeing that and hope it can continue.  Enjoyed your take.

[Pete]

Looks like Hervey and the Elks are spending the extra 400k fromthe cap
https://3downnation.com/2025/02/16/elks-sign-dl-brandon-barlow-after-ticats-release-prior-to-offseason-roster-bonus/
dont think i can remember a gm thats signed so many high profile free agents, their dline is going to be a force with Smith, Ceresna, Brinkman and now Barlow (all ex argos)