Monday Evening Sentimonies: Free Agency

Free agency official opens tomorrow. Which means that we get to confirm all the things that were leaked out during legal tampering. Which is really just all the things that were sorted out during illegal tampering… which totally does not happen (wink, wink). 

We already know the Riders’ roster is taking some hits. Starters like Reavis, Allen and Carney as well as depth guys like Maeir, Baldonado, Nield and Robustelli are all gone. To compensate we will be adding James Vaughters, James Letcher (a very dangerous returner) and Josh Woods (veteran depth at LB). 

So what does this all mean for the Riders?

Well before people start their annual freak out that O’Day does nothing remember a) the most active teams in free agency are the crappiest teams and b) O’Day has already successfully extended 22 of our pending free agents. He put in the bulk of his work before free agency in trying to keep together as much of the core as possible. This includes top end talent like Emilus, Campbell and Johnson. So yes losing guys like Carney, Allen and Reavis sucks but its not end of the world. O’Day has done a great job of building depth. The development of guys like Brooks and Miller are factors in letting Allen and Reavis go.

Defensive end still concerns me at this point. Vaughters helps but he is 5-6 sack a year guy. Great for the rotation but not the guy. Him and Korte-Moore are currently our most decorated ends. If the Riders signed me I would be tied for 3^rd most CFL sacks by a defensive end. We have brought in a ton of new recruits and obviously hope one or 2 pan out but its far from a guarantee. But other than that I don’t see us as having major holes in the roster. Depth is a concern … but we also went from ridiculous depth to not as much so the level of concern is relative.

The biggest news was a release, not a signing. The Brett Lauther era is over. It will go down as a storied career of someone who was great on and off the field. But football is a cruel sport and as so often happens, rather than a heroes send off he gets unceremoniously dumped. Dumped for very good reasons but dumped nonetheless. To me the most shocking thing is not that we cut ties… its that we cut ties after sticking with him so long. If we still believed in him at the end of last season then I did not see us moving on now. I have nothing but respect for Lauther. From his humble beginnings of 18 years spent on practice rosters before getting his shot to even on his worst days never shying away from holding himself accountable in the media. His integrity and perseverance are commendable.  

We appear to be going American as we have now signed 2 American kickers. Be interesting to see how that plays out. You may say it can’t get worse than Lauther was last season, but to you I say… Campbell Fair. So forgive my concern. 

I am still holding out hope that we can keep CJ Avery. But I guess we will see how it goes.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Who You Be Tampering With?

**Editors note: I already had to rewrite this completely because 4 things happened that rendered the majority of my post irrelevant. Odds are good that will happen again between when I hit post and when you read this. Its not my fault CFL managers don't take my schedule into account when making moves.**

Its tampering season across the CFL as teams frantically make calls to try and woo potential free agents. They are about one step away from Tinder.

The opening hours were not exactly kind to the Riders. As often happens to the champions, other teams came looking to raid our shelves. And raid they did. Edmonton drove a truck of money up to Carney’s doorstep and took Robustelli for good measure. Ottawa took AJ Allen, Baldonado, Reavis and Maier. And Winnipeg took Tommy Nield. And that’s just what happened so far. 

On the positive side we did manage took lock up Ouelette and Rose just prior to free agency. On the less positive side we also managed to lock up Fields (because of what I can only assume is a league-imposed handicap to level the competitive landscape). 

So the question becomes, with Carney and Allen out of the picture what is O’Day doing with his tampering time? The answer may surprise you… very little. Or at least very little in terms of things most people would find interesting. He might be more active on actual Tinder than CFL Free Agent Tinder. He did most of his work up to now just retaining the core group of last year. Other than Carney and Allen he really managed to maintain all his impact starters… as well as Lokombo and Fields for some reason. We don’t have many major roster holes and more importantly we have no money to fill those holes we do have. We will be relying heavily on drafting and recruiting for the most part. 

I do think one think O’Day is doing is keeping in touch with our pending free agents. In particular CJ Avery. People forget that Avery was the starter until he got hurt and Allen stepped in a became a star. If we can keep him it will somewhat soften the sting of Allen and Reavis’ loss. 

But tampering with your own players is boring. You probably want the dirt on what other players O’Day is tampering with. I figure he’s looking at the following priority areas: 

D-Ends –  The one thing O'Day did was address our most glaring need. As much as the current "sign 20 rookie D-ends and hope 1 pans out" strategy is one way to appraoch things, we simply could not enter the season with Korte-Moore being our most experienced D-end. James Vaughters has history with this coaching staff given his time in Calgary so he was an obvious name that was on my radar and obviously O'Day's. Lorenzo Mauldin is a name we could explore. Maybe Shane Ray even sticks around. The market got thin real quick though so it might be Vaughters, Korte-Moore and hope we recruit well. 

O-line Depth – Much like last year where we added McEwen and Gagnon (I am not sure the difference between hype of signings and actual impact was that stark since Chris Jones’ free agent class in 2016), you know O’Day is always looking to add OL depth.  Names like Landon Rice, a second go round for Ryan Sceviour or even Gagnon and McEwen again are options. 

Receiver – With Johnson, Baker and Emilus plus our solid depth at Canadian WR, we don’t need a veteran receiver. But with Myers, Bane and Robustelli all going at once we do have room for a value add. Charleston Rambo, Dominique Rhymes, Luther Hakunavanuh, Steven Dunbar. Hell I would not even rule us having a conversation with Dalton Shoen (though given his injury status, a signing would likely be a ways away). The money for receivers dries up real quick once the top guys sign so there could be some sneaky value for the patient

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Baker Stays

They managed to get the deal done!

Speculation has been running rampant since November about whether the Riders would be able to retain both Emilus and Schaefer-Baker this offseason. That speculation ramped up when the Riders made Emilus the highest paid Canadian WR in the league. But to O’Day’s credit he found a way to get it done, signing Baker to a 2 year extension.

There was likely a team willing to pay more money to Baker. He’s an impact Canadian receiver after all. But Baker has never been quiet about his love for this province and his desire to stay. So he had to weigh whether the “more” he could make would be significant enough to make it worth it to leave a great situation and place he loves. Obviously O’Day found a number close enough to Baker’s ask that it was not worth testing free agency. I have no doubt that presence of Mace and Harris is a damn good recruiting tool.

Do I think Baker could have made more money? Yes. Do I think it would have been a significant amount? No. Teams don’t exactly back up trucks of money for players that have missed 26 of a possible 54 regular season games over the past 3 seasons. Love Baker but durability is a concern.

I am an unabashed Baker fan so I am very happy that he will be staying. As iconic as this pose is, I didn’t want it to be his last moment in green and white.

The Riders also extended Lake Korte-Moore. Keeping our Canadian core is important and prior to his injury last season Korte-Moore had been developing into an effective rotational pass rusher. They also extended Jack Coan who they remain very high on as a QB prospect.

With both Stevens and Coan locked up it brings into question whether Maier will be back. I think that decision is entirely Maier’s. I believe O’Day has made him an offer to return as the back-up and its up to him to see if he can find something better. I am not sure he will. There are no starter jobs up for grabs, so you gotta ask yourself where what the best back-up spot is. And honestly we have to top that list. Is there any QB more likely to not make a full season than old man Harris? And is it worth risking learning a whole new offense for a chance to maybe back-up someone else?

 Still some big names on O’Day’s to do list like Carney, Reavis, Johnson, Ouelette and Allen. I think we will all be pretty ok if that to-do list continues to not involve Lokombo and Fields.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Free Agent Focus

Good news week for the Riders as they announced contract extensions for two key members of the defense. Tevaughn Campbell gets a one year extension. He was slated to be a free agent but based on his own comments was more likely heading to retirement before being lured back by the prospect of running it back. Jameer Thurman got one year added to his deal and is now under contract through 2027. 

These two contracts add to the growing list of good moves O’Day has been making since the Grey Cup party dies down. Harris, Hardrick, Stevens, Emilus, Sanders, Dalke, Ford and Hudon. While there is still a lot of work to do, the roster is honestly in pretty good shape. With a couple exceptions, if we were forced to start the season today I would feel pretty good about the team. Now of course while “pretty good” may cut it for lesser franchises like the Bombers and RedBlacks, the standard is much higher here. 

With that in mind let’s take a look at what I think the remaining priorities for O’Day are.

 1 – Jorgen Hus

Hear me out on this. I know long snapper is far from the highest profile position. They don’t make the highlight reel and most of the time most of you probably even forget Hus is on the field. But that’s the point. You do not want to notice your long snapper. If you do, it’s a very bad thing. Hus has been here since 2015 and the only thing he has missed less than games over that decade is snaps. Honesly ask yourself the last bad snap you remember. He is the best at what he does. At 36 he obviously can’t play forever but the prospect of not having an automatic snapper is not something I want to deal with this year. Put some respect on Hus’ name. Much like Campbell I am sure he is contemplating retirement. 

2 – Defensive Ends

This is the one position that we currently have a hole at. Carney, Ray, Baldonado and Korte-Moore (pretty much every End who has recorded a sack under Mace) remains pending free agents and we don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. You can’t win without an impact edge. Carney and Baldonado are obviously the primary targets but both will be looking for significant raises. As a global player, I think Baldonado’s pay was so low he may have been paying the CFL to play. I do expect at least one person to be signed before free agency opens. I also expect Ray may be done here. 

3 – AJ Allen

There are 3 keys to sustained success in the CFL: QB play, strong play on both sides of the line and Canadian depth. Allen worked his way up the hard way from 3^rd round draft pick, to token Canadian special teamer, to rotational defensive player to impact starter. A true success story in terms of drafting and development. But success of course means Allen wants to be paid like a starter not a special teamer (and rightly so). This one will be interesting because you could in theory go back to CJ Avery at that spot at a fraction of the price. But a team that wants to have the option of an American safety or multiple American OLs needs Canadians like Allen elsewhere. I want to keep him. He is such smart player, just always in the right spot and often making impact plays. 

4 – CJ Reavis

Speaking of impact defenders, Reavis is one of the few remaining guys not yet locked up. His versatility is a big asset in a Mace defense. He can play LB he can bump back to safety (where he will spend half his time yelling at Fields for being out of position). Obviously we want him back. But again we have other options. We could go back to Canadian safety. Brooks can play the LB spot. While we want Reavis it won’t be a blank cheque to get him back. 

5 – The Sentimentals

I am thinking primarily of Baker and Ouelette here. I am actually surprised Ouelette hasn’t signed yet (I assumed him and Harris were a package deal). Either way these 2 players present interesting conundrums for O’Day. These are heart and soul guys that you want on your team. They are playmakers. It would kill me to see either in another colour. But with finite financial resources, RB is the most replaceable position in football and we have a lot of good Canadian WRs already so this is far from a priority in terms of spending. I really hope O’Day can find a way to make the numbers work. But if he doesn’t I understand.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: The NFL Calls

We found out this past week that Dohnte Myers will become the latest Roughrider to try his luck down south. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. As with every Rider that heads to the NFL, he gets the customary “Happy for you but selfishly bummed to be losing you”. But after a breakout year with over 1000 yards and the 4^th most receiving TDs in the CFL he is certainly deserving of the opportunity. 

I hope he sticks as down there but the reality is its tough for a receiver to make it. Most receivers can’t play on special teams so they need to outright win a spot as a receiver. With the resurgence of the kick return game in the NFL, Myers’ chances somewhat improve given that he is a talented returner. For his sake I hope I am wriong but I could see him back in the CFL come September. And honestly, while losing a player of his calibre is never a good thing for team, there may be a slight silver lining in this. 

The Riders have a lot of work to do to re-sign all their pending FAs. Myers was among many guys coming of rookie deals and due a significant raise. We don’t have enough money to pay everyone. So not having to pay him now and potentially (I stress potentially since he may stick in the NFL and is an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t) getting him for the back half of the makes the economics of this all a little eaiser. 

This got me thinking about the Riders’ history with NFL signees. This has been a standard part of most offseasons. We’ve seen guys like Keith, Dominguez, Fantuz, Dressler and Jordan Sisco (for reasons that still defy explanation) sign deals. Some guys get a cup of coffee and are back with the team come Labour Day (think Ajou recently). Some guys stick for a year or two before eventually coming back. And some guys never look back (think Jerrell Freeman who remains one of the most talented players I have ever seen in Green and White). 

Here's a look at the 10 years worth of Riders trying the NFL. 

2015 – Ben Heenan (Indy – ended up retiring to farm after his time in Indy), Brian Peters (Houston – Had a 3 year career in the NFL and never came back north)

2017 – Jeff Knox (TB), Otha Foster (Baltimore) – both were back in the CFL that same season

2018 – Jeff Knox (TB, again was back in the CFL that same season), Kacy Rodgers (NYJ, didn’t last more than one season but never came back north)

2019 – Sam Eguavoen (Miami, proved he was a legit NFL talent and stuck permanently), Jordan Williams-Lambert (Indy, returned to the CFL)

2020 – Derrick Moncreif (LV, lasted the full season in the NFL before returning the next year)

2021 – Dakota Shepley (San Fran, still down south doing his thing)

2022 – Brayden Lenius (Atlanta, cup of coffee and back in the CFL by September)

2025 – Trevor Reid (Minnesota – did not make the main roster but has yet to return to the CFL), Ajou Ajou (Indy, cup of coffee and back to make plays on Labour Day) 

How Myers will fare remains to be seen. But I do take solace in having players that are talented enough to catch the attention of the NFL. Note in the list above that in 2016. 2023 and 2024 we had no one sign in the NFL… you may have repressed the memories of those season but I assure you they were not so great.  

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Wishes for 2026

Happy New Year!

I mean, the first Monday after the holiday season is probably no exactly “happy” for you (unless you are happy to get the kids out of the house and back to school). But fear not, the Prophet is back to brighten your Mondays.

As we start a new year it got me thinking about what my hope is for 2026. Now, obviously the only thing any of us want is for the Riders to repeat as Grey Cup champs. This is a franchise that has struggled to win singular championships, so in a world of beggars can’t be chooser repeats are just not something we talk about. But with this coaching staff and the players we have assembled we all think its definitely in the conversation.

But I won’t go as far as saying my wish for 2026 is a repeat. Maybe its decades of emotional damage but I have decidedly lower wishes. What I really want is the chance at a repeat to still be a possibility come October. Here me out… 

The last 2 times we won the Cup the chances of a repeat were dashed before the leaves changed colours. And not just dashed, completely scorched and the ashes pissed on and then they came back and punched us in the junk as we lay there in agony for good measure.

In 2007 the confetti was barely done falling before Kent Austin was on a plane to Ole Miss and reigning MOP Kerry Joseph was shipped off to Toronto. And just in case we thought still had a chance, by the time August rolled around every important player had broken their fibula. And just in case that wasn’t definitive enough, by Labour Day Michael Bishop was starting at QB. We were not even at the halfway point of the season and the chances of a repeat were dead. 

Following the 2013 season things went decidedly better… at first. The Riders started the season 7-2. I know there are no guarantees and there were other good teams that season but you will not convince me that 2014 was not destined to repeat. They were that good. But of course, we know that as Rider fans happiness is just the precursor to devastating heartbreak. In the Banjo Bowl that year, our chances of a repeat were ended on a play that didn’t happen. Durant blew his elbow and once again the dreams of a repeat died. This time Michael Bishop did not arrive to put the final nails in the coffin but Tino Sunseri/Seth Doege played so well that even I thought Bishop would have been an upgrade. 

Two Grey Cup wins, two dreams of a repeat that didn’t even last until the mid-point of September. So when I say what I really want this season is for the dream of a repeat to at least last until October I mean it. At least get me to the playoffs before crushing my hope. I don’t know what the 2026 equivalent of Michael Bishop is (Bethel-Thompson? Streveler?) but don’t do that to me. I know the odds of a repeat are small… but dammit let me have my hope not matter how improbable.

Monday Morning Christmas Sentimonies

This will be my last post in what has been a glorious 2025. A year that saw the Riders win the Grey Cup. We will be celebrating that one for a long time… mainly because history tells us we may need to wait another decade to enjoy this again.

So as you sip on your nog and whatever you choose to covertly spike it with look back fondly on this season:

-        The Alford return TD in the Argo game

-        An actual Nelson Lokombo pick… I think it may have even been on purpose.

-        Winning Labour Day AND the Banjo Bowl

-        Not having a gust of wind ruin our chance of first place

-        Despite all his struggles, Brett Lauther still clearly not being the worst kicker on the Riders

-        The ridiculous series of events that led to the West Final victory including kicking a FG when we should not have, punting when we definitely should not have and a magical pass to Nield to seal it.

-        People getting mad that Corey Mace curses.

What were your notable moments from this season?

From the whole Rider Prophet family we wishing you all a a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet and a solemn, dignified Ramadan.

We will see you in the new year.