1st & 10 | The Blue Bombers Pending Free Agent List

[Blue In BC]

Oline is always going to be a work in progress, unless players are very, very good, and get huge offers, they tend to stay. So that's why they don't make my list.

Kramdi is a team leader, a hit machine and shown to be effective where ever deployed.  I love his attitude and his passport.

List is for, as you notice, conversation.

Kramdi is a very good player but I'm also considering specific positional depth we might have to make a change. We drafted 3 LB's last year and we might bring back Makonzo. Woodbey is another possible choice.

So ratio and SMS will factor in big in the direction they go at that position, more so than any other Canadian starting position.

Happy to have him back but there might be a bidding war for him back east. IIRC he was at about $140K in 2025, so where do we draw the line and what other offers does he get? Not sure.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Kramdi is a very good player but I'm also considering specific positional depth we might have to make a change. We drafted 3 LB's last year and we might bring back Makonzo. Woodbey is another possible choice.

So ratio and SMS will factor in big in the direction they go at that position, more so than any other Canadian starting position.

Happy to have him back but there might be a bidding war for him back east. IIRC he was at about $140K in 2025, so where do we draw the line and what other offers does he get? Not sure.

Danny Maciocia coached Kramdi at the Univ. of Mtl and has a very high opinion of his intelligence so he'd likely be his biggest suitor, but unlikely he has the budget for another expensive Natl. DB with Marc-Antoine Dequoy also headed for free agency, he might be in line for $200k.

[VictorRomano]

Danny Maciocia coached Kramdi at the Univ. of Mtl and has a very high opinion of his intelligence so he'd likely be his biggest suitor, but unlikely he has the budget for another expensive Natl. DB with Marc-Antoine Dequoy also headed for free agency, he might in line for $200k.

Can Walters please open the vault for one of Katsatonis or Duqouy?  Please?  I'd love to see either of those guys in our defensive backfield.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Can Walters please open the vault for one of Katsatonis or Duqouy?  Please?  I'd love to see either of those guys in our defensive backfield.

I do think our secondary needs an injection from somewhere. I'd strongly consider repurposing Deatrick Nichols money.

[dd]

Can Walters please open the vault for one of Katsatonis or Duqouy?  Please?  I'd love to see either of those guys in our defensive backfield.

Fat chance this happens. Both are top $$nat s and their respective clubs won't let them walk like we do with top NAT players. We need to upgrade our OL and DL, cam Allen at safety will have to do

[DM83]

Where is Jaworski? Guy had an awesome game in the one he played in.

[ModAdmin]

Where is Jaworski? Guy had an awesome game in the one he played in.

He's on the Blue Bomber roster.

[theaardvark]

Danny Maciocia coached Kramdi at the Univ. of Mtl and has a very high opinion of his intelligence so he'd likely be his biggest suitor, but unlikely he has the budget for another expensive Natl. DB with Marc-Antoine Dequoy also headed for free agency, he might be in line for $200k.

I'd give up Kramdi for Dequoy... if we had to.

[Jesse]

Kramdi is a coaches favourite. He's not going anywhere if he wants to stay. I think we might have to make some choices with Holm and Nichols. But that's hard too because it took us longer than normal to get our secondary sorted this year and even had to bring back Houston.

Tough off season.

[LXTSN]

QB  C (Zach is good but the rest of the group is BAD)
RB  A (Best RB in the league)
WR  B (Schoen, Pokey, Demski, Clercius, Wheatfall. Big drop-off from there.)
OL  B-(Your as good as your weakest link. Paddy was bad against pass rush last season, and Wallace wasn't great there either)

DL  B-(Failed to get consistent pressure on the QB, but stopped the run very well)
LB  A (This is our deepest position all around. Tony Jones, Kramdi and Wilson are all very good. The young guys show tons of potential)
DB  B (Found out quick that Bridges wasn't the guy. Hopefully we see someone jump off the page to start)
S   B (I actually really like Cam Allen... But wouldn't that be a great place to fit in a National?)

Would love to look for at least one more good OL in the draft, and maybe a RB to back up BO. Safety would be another place I'd look for a difference maker!

I'd like the scouts to lock in on DB, DE, OT and WR talent down south.

In free agency, I would track down a solid vet QB to back up Zach. Maybe scoop a pass rusher or a solid DB.

[VictorRomano]

QB  C (Zach is good but the rest of the group is BAD)
RB  A (Best RB in the league)
WR  B (Schoen, Pokey, Demski, Clercius, Wheatfall. Big drop-off from there.)
OL  B-(Your as good as your weakest link. Paddy was bad against pass rush last season, and Wallace wasn't great there either)

DL  B-(Failed to get consistent pressure on the QB, but stopped the run very well)
LB  A (This is our deepest position all around. Tony Jones, Kramdi and Wilson are all very good. The young guys show tons of potential)
DB  B (Found out quick that Bridges wasn't the guy. Hopefully we see someone jump off the page to start)
S   B (I actually really like Cam Allen... But wouldn't that be a great place to fit in a National?)

Would love to look for at least one more good OL in the draft, and maybe a RB to back up BO. Safety would be another place I'd look for a difference maker!

I'd like the scouts to lock in on DB, DE, OT and WR talent down south.

In free agency, I would track down a solid vet QB to back up Zach. Maybe scoop a pass rusher or a solid DB.

Yikes.  I think these ratings are way, waaaaay too generous in most cases.

QB  C (Zach is good adequate but inconsistent when healthy, but the rest of the group is MEH to BAD - I reserve my opinion on Artie the Greek until we've seen more of him, but Strev and Wilson could be shown the door and I wouldn't even be mad.)
RB  A (Best RB in the league, but poorly used in last year's offence; Peterson and Chris-Ike can also play)
WR  C (Schoen, Pokey, Demski are fine; Wheatfall and Stearns are adequate. Clercius had a disappointing year.  Big drop-off from there.  No Top-10 recievers, and only 1 in the Top 25 (Demski @ #11), and only 1 over 700yds (Demski).  I fear Schoen is a lost cause - great talent, but always hurt.  Only way he should be brought back is on a low-cost base contract that is heavily weighted on starts and performance; his big salary, and Mitchell's, could be used to get a legit top-10 recieving threat.
OL  D (You're as good as your weakest link. Paddy was bad against pass rush last season, and Wallace wasn't great there either.  Kolankowski is a turnstile.)

DL  C+ (Failed to get consistent pressure on the QB, but stopped the run adequately; hoping for a better year in 2026 with more snaps for Lawson and Jaworski)
LB  A (This is our deepest position all around. Tony Jones, Kramdi and Wilson are all very good. Cadwallader and Gauthier are consistent.  The rest of the young guys show tons of potential)
DB  B- (Found out quick that Bridges wasn't the guy. Bonds is only adequate and we could definitely upgrade both of these guys.  Hopefully we see someone jump off the page to start)
S   B (I actually really like Cam Allen... But can we go hard after Katsantonis or Deqouy please?)

HC:  B (Osh made some errors, but overall failure of this team isn't totally on him).
OC:  D- (We weren't last in the league in points, but we were in the bottom 3rd, even with the best all-around RB in the league - Brady was used poorly for most of the season).
DC:  B- (Worst in the league in sacks, TFL, and INTs, but led the league in fewest TDs allowed and pass deflections)
ST:  B (Steady, but can always improve - at least we found a replacement for Grant - hopefully he's back in 2026 or this grade will likely drop in 2026)
Management:  C (Yes, we found a diamond in Vaval, but we also failed to address the Bomber porous OL that has been an issue for a couple of seasons now, and we made some poor choices in FA (Mitchell, perennially-injured Schoen).  Also, need to find a legit #2 QB - our QB depth has been bad for 2 years in a row.

[Blue In BC]

I've heard rumours that the Bombers are close to finalizing a deal with Oliveria. 3 years for $900K.

Of course this is just a " rumour " but IMO it would be nuts no matter what the deals involve like Marketing Money or guaranteed money. That's just too much for any non QB.

Yes, I'd like to get him re-signed before the end of 2025 or certainly before free agency.

The question I would have is if that's the number he's asking for, why not let him get to the tampering window in February? Then we'd see if another team is going to up the anti. Why jump the gun on that level of contract?

One other point would be if we re-sign him for that amount shortly, what impact does that have on other player demands?

It seems strange that we don't have total contract disclosures but repeatedly hear about some of the larger deals being announced / completed.

Just bad business IMO.

[Jesse]

I've heard rumours that the Bombers are close to finalizing a deal with Oliveria. 3 years for $900K.

Of course this is just a " rumour " but IMO it would be nuts no matter what the deals involve like Marketing Money or guaranteed money. That's just too much for any non QB.

Yes, I'd like to get him re-signed before the end of 2025 or certainly before free agency.

The question I would have is if that's the number he's asking for, why not let him get to the tampering window in February? Then we'd see if another team is going to up the anti. Why jump the gun on that level of contract?

One other point would be if we re-sign him for that amount shortly, what impact does that have on other player demands?

It seems strange that we don't have total contract disclosures but repeatedly hear about some of the larger deals being announced / completed.

Just bad business IMO.

Well, Darren Cameron said they were working hard to announce more "good news" in the coming weeks. I don't know if I believe anything to do with Brady, as I feel like he is going to go to the tampering window, but I wouldn't be opposed to the contract you outlined. It keeps him here and we can focus on the rest of the roster.

If there's a signing bonus on the 2025 cap (lost season), and marketing money as a part of the deal, it wouldn't hurt us against the cap, so it'd be a great outcome in my opinion.

And we're not living in 2005 where QBs are making 300k. The cap is higher. The floor is higher. Elite nationals are all going to be making around 300k. Tyson Philpot just signed for 275k and his career high is 800 yards and 5 TDs. You need to shift your thinking a bit on these contract numbers.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I've heard rumours that the Bombers are close to finalizing a deal with Oliveria. 3 years for $900K.

Of course this is just a " rumour " but IMO it would be nuts no matter what the deals involve like Marketing Money or guaranteed money. That's just too much for any non QB.

Yes, I'd like to get him re-signed before the end of 2025 or certainly before free agency.

The question I would have is if that's the number he's asking for, why not let him get to the tampering window in February? Then we'd see if another team is going to up the anti. Why jump the gun on that level of contract?

One other point would be if we re-sign him for that amount shortly, what impact does that have on other player demands?

It seems strange that we don't have total contract disclosures but repeatedly hear about some of the larger deals being announced / completed.

Just bad business IMO.

It's almost inevitable Brady is going to be offered $300k by someone, Walters trying to squeeze him will just piss him off and could cause a Harris like fracture that can't be repaired. 3 more years sounds good to me, he's been great in every way imaginable, after that he's welcome to play elsewhere as he will be sliding down the backside of his career by then. 

I want them to re-sign Brady and integrate Peterson into the offence however they can, he has the potential to be the next Demski if given the right opportunity.

[Blue In BC]

It's almost inevitable Brady is going to be offered $300k by someone, Walters trying to squeeze him will just piss him off and could cause a Harris like fracture that can't be repaired. 3 more years sounds good to me, he's been great in every way imaginable, after that he's welcome to play elsewhere as he will be sliding down the backside of his career by then. 

I want them to re-sign Brady and integrate Peterson into the offence however they can, he has the potential to be the next Demski if given the right opportunity.

If someone wants to pay him $300K I'm good with letting him leave. Just because the SMS is higher there is no advantage in giving a select few the bulk of the increase. That doesn't improve the roster one bit. It's status quo.

As far as fracturing the relationship: don't you think going to free agency does the same thing? If the choice is all about maximizing the payday, then the relationship is worth about as much as the refund on an empty pop bottle.