The B.C. Lions noticed a number of key gamers have profession seasons in 2023, they usually’re due a elevate as free company looms lower than a month away.
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Mathieu Betts? Profession yr.
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Josh Woods? Profession yr.
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Ben Hladik, Keon Hatcher, Alex Hollins, and Jevon Cottoy? Profession years, all of ‘em.
The B.C. Lions have a headache of their very own making; a pending free agent listing of gamers who’ve developed into impression starters, and all deserving a elevate for the 2024 season.
CFL free company is simply across the nook — it opens at 9 a.m. on Feb. 13 — and the Lions are going to have to determine the best way to dole out the $5.585 million they’re allowed to spend.
But when there have been a chunk of fine information, it’s this: All of the gamers who made big steps ahead this yr had been as soon as fringe particular teamers or apply squaders. Hatcher got here off the PR, as did Hollins and Woods. Betts didn’t blossom till he got here to B.C. Hladik was a third-round choose within the CFL draft and spent his time paying his dues.
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The maths stays intimidating.
Betts is one in all, if not the, greatest pending free brokers available on the market. The reigning sack champ and league defensive MOP is presently on a highway present of NFL exercises, and may he come again to the CFL, he’ll command an enormous soar on his already sizeable $200,000-plus wage.
His defensive associate, Woods, can be on his personal NFL tour after a breakout season at linebacker that included some clutch playoff performances. His working mate at linebacker, Hladik, is one other rising star.
Hollins and Hatcher completed second and fourth in CFL receiving, with Hatcher main the league in yards per at 81.7.
So what’s Neil McEvoy, co-general supervisor and director, soccer operations, to do?
Speak, then discuss some extra, and hopefully get some readability earlier than the free agent market opens.
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“We’re in dialog with all of them. We’re nonetheless speaking,” he stated from Nashville, Tenn., the place he’s a part of the league’s winter conferences with coaches and GMs.
“It’s nonetheless fairly early within the course of. I do know it’s nearly February … (however) we’re nonetheless in strategy of working with all these guys and speaking to them. On the finish of the day, I feel we’ll get the fellows that we wish again, again.”
The distilled model, for the TL; DR individuals, is: it’s a ready recreation.
The cash supplied by the billion-dollar juggernaut of the NFL will all the time be a siren tune. For many who scoffed at Nathan Rourke’s determination to go south, he made extra as a No. 3/emergency quarterback than any CFL participant final yr. If he can crack the code to turn into an common, energetic participant, that quantity climbs out of sight.
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Betts would love a chunk of that motion, and he’s had loads of NFL exercises regardless of being a virtually 29-year-old defensive lineman with no NCAA pedigree.
“Am I stunned? No,” McEvoy stated of the curiosity in Betts.
“Simply due to his manufacturing. The truth that Mr. Betts had the yr he had … they had been nearly compelled to work him out.
“Once more, we’re nonetheless early within the course of, so nonetheless in conversations with him. He’s received to resolve what the subsequent step is for him. Clearly, I’d wish to have it resolved ahead of later. However some issues are out of my management as a lot as I’d wish to say they’re in management.
“The truth is that he’s attempting to get by this exercise course of. After which as soon as that’s concluded, then we will get all the way down to work determining what the subsequent step is.”
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McEvoy stated there’s an excellent probability he’ll have the ability to afford to convey each Hladik and Woods again, barring any stratospheric NFL money presents or different CFL groups opening up the pockets for them.
On offence, they’ll be looking for a brand new backup quarterback after the retirement of Dane Evans earlier this month, after which determining the best way to retain their high 4 pass-catchers, yardage sensible.
Hatcher’s contract poses a further dilemma. He tore his Achilles early within the West Closing in opposition to Winnipeg, and can miss most of — if not all — of the 2024 season.
“We’re simply working by the best way to make that work for all of us,” stated McEvoy. “The problem is that we dwell in a cap world. It’s a must to be certain everybody suits inside the cap. He’s not going to be prepared immediately, so you must additionally determine who’s going to interchange him — and it’s going to be robust, as a result of he’s dominant. When he’s enjoying, he’s dominant. He’s bodily, he performs bully ball, which is what you need in a receiver. He’s relentless; you may hit him as exhausting as you need and he simply will get again up and retains on coming.
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“He’s a man that I actually, actually like and assume that he has an incredible future in our league and within the sport.
“On the finish of the day, he’s a dominant receiver, an incredible man, attempting to embed himself into our neighborhood. So he’s somebody that we need to cling on to for so long as we will.”
That kind of reward was muted when it got here to veteran Fortunate Whitehead, the crew’s fourth-leading receiver final yr. His ebullience stays undimmed, however his explosiveness and manufacturing has dipped.
“It’s nonetheless up within the air. We’re nonetheless speaking, nonetheless attempting to determine the place all these items match,” McEvoy stated of Whitehead’s standing.
“However definitely, an incredible human. I actually like Fortunate — he’s an incredible man and was actually good for us. We’ve simply received to determine how he suits within the present 2024 regime, and we haven’t received there but. Sadly, he’s not the best precedence for our crew at this level.
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“There’s a tier of gamers you must begin with, and we’re simply going by that now.”
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