‘You actually have two or three plans:’ Riders ready for negotiation window

With the CFL free-agent negotiation window set to open, Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day says the team has a plan in place – but he knows you still need a backup plan or two.

“I think if you look through the roster and the players we have signed back, you can kind of predict some of the areas that we will be looking at through free agency,” O’Day said Thursday from Frisco, Texas, where he’s scouting the East-West Shrine Bowl.

“After free agency is over, we will divulge a little bit more of the strategy that we had going into it and some of the things that we went through the window and once we got into free agency.

“You always have a plan. You actually have two or three plans and sometimes more: If you get this player in free agency and are able to obtain him, what that means to some of the other areas.”

The negotiation window opens Sunday at 11 a.m.

It gives players and teams a chance to come to an agreement prior to free agency opening on Feb. 13, or to see what other clubs may be offering players they don’t currently have under contract.

“It gives us a little bit of time to get to know him over the phone and communicate with them to see if it’s a fit for our organization,” O’Day said. “It’s a good opportunity to get to know someone and see if they will add value to your team.”

The Riders have a new man leading the locker room with Corey Mace taking over as the team’s head coach. Mace was the defensive line coach with the Calgary Stampeders (2016-21) and was the Toronto Argonauts’ defensive co-ordinator for two seasons (2022-23).

O’Day believes players will want to play under Mace, which could help convince some players to sign with the Riders.

“The players who have played for (Mace) and played with him as a positional coach and defensive co-ordinator, I just think they have a high amount of respect for him and they enjoy playing for him,” O’Day said. “I feel like they have a close relationship with him and so I fully expect that.

“We aren’t able to talk to the players but I predict there are some players who would like to play for him.”

One of the Riders from 2023 who is set to become a free agent is running back Jamal Morrow. His status in Saskatchewan is unclear.

“We’ve had discussions with his representation and right now there is nothing imminent in the works,” O’Day said. “We will see what progresses in the next few days and then, once we get into the window, (we’ll see) how that shapes out.”

Morrow’s could be another name in what appears to be a talented group of free agents at the position. It includes Brady Oliveira, A.J. Ouellette, William Stanback and Ka’Deem Carey.

“That’s a market where there seems to be quite a few hitting the window at least,” O’Day said. “If you look at it, there’s difference reasons for each guy hitting the window – whether it is salary or a team looking to make a change at the position.

“You saw William Stanback get released a little bit earlier than the window (Wednesday) and obviously Montreal is going to go in a different route there at running back. I don’t know if I would say it’s surprising. I just think it’s one of those positions this year where it seems there is going to be a group of guys that will at least make it to the window.”

TSN’s Dave Naylor is reporting the Riders are one of the teams with a strong interest in signing Stanback.

Hearing the @sskroughriders are among teams with a strong interest in former @MTLAlouettes RB William Stanback.#CFL #Riders

— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) February 1, 2024

The Riders currently have 16 players from their 2023 team who are not under contract for the new season. O’Day said discussions are being had with some of them.

“We feel very good with where we are at with signing our own guys back, but there’s still some communication that we will have and potential to bring some guys back depending on how everything goes over the next couple of days and into the window,” O’Day said.

O’Day said they aren’t focused on how the past two seasons have gone and will spend as much as they can in free agency when it starts.

“We’re still going to attack it like we do every year and spend to the cap. Hopefully those decisions that we make are good and just like any other year, we will have a priority of guys we will want to talk to and attack them in a certain way,” O’Day said.

“We will talk to the players that we want to become Roughriders and hopefully the feeling is mutual.”