REGINA -- It might be easy to think the off-season is a time for rest and relaxation for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ front office, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
One just has to look at the recent player signings the Canadian Football League team has pulled off to get an idea -- including one of the biggest of them all: quarterback Trevor Harris. That doesn’t happen in a vacuum with general manager Jeremy O’Day putting in plenty of time as he looks to get contracts in place in advance of the start of free agency on Tuesday, February 11.
“There are a lot of factors that go into when you offer, who you offer, and how much you offer,” he said. “You're going through that and you're also keeping an eye on the list of free agents that could possibly be out there. It's a juggling act.”
There are priority players that the team is most interested in re-signing -- like Harris -- with plans progressing after the starting quarterback.
“There are some guys that you definitely want to get back. You'll start to offer those guys, get those offers out and start working through negotiations,” O’Day explained. “Then there's some other guys where you have to be patient. They have to understand it's a process.
“You start from the coach's evaluations and you start putting out offers. Some will get back to you quick, they're excited to get back. Then there are other ones that take a little bit longer. It all depends on where that player is at.”
Finances are a major factor with the team trying to work within the salary cap when it comes to determining contract valuations. That can make for quick negotiations for players who are already highly compensated and others take longer for players looking for a raise. When free agency does hit, O'Day and his staff will be ready.
“We have every position broken down. That’s when you're looking at your guys that you have on your roster, trying to decide whether you want to bring them back or whether you would look at making a change,” O’Day said. “The numbers are usually almost the same every year for how many guys in each position are going to be free agents.
“It's a couple months before free agency, so a lot changes in that time. You can see that across the league. It takes two to tango, so you can have your best laid plans and there's another guy sitting across the table that has to agree to it as well.”
Working with agents also factors into player signings, with a wide variety of items often playing into new deals.
“The agents are trying to see if there's a situation that's better for the player or whether he feels it's a good situation,” O’Day said. “Then ultimately, the biggest thing is the financial discussions. There's not many guys that come up and say: 'Hey, I'll take a pay cut.' It's quite the opposite. You have to understand that and factor that in.”
Then there’s the wait and see. As one might expect, players and their representatives often like to take a look at the overall landscape before making a decision, which means that even though discussions have taken place before Feb. 11, new agreements might not be finalized.
“It's a lot of positioning,” O'Day said. “Agents, some of them aren't overly keen. They want to also see the lay of the land for their clients and ultimately do the best job they can for them. They want to know what the market looks like for them as well. A lot of that happens before you get into free agency.”
The CFL has put out its full list of free agents for each team .
You can check out the full interview , and be sure to keep an eye on SportsCage.com for all your Roughriders news and views.
