riders poised to sign jason clermont

[DerekDD]

take it for whats its worth but I have a good source telling me that mr. clermont is poised to sign with the roughriders. its also being posted by rod pederson the voice of the riders on his blog that its pretty much a done deal. i'm sure this comes as not much of a surprise to you though.

[David]

What? No bidding war?




DH 8)

[#1 Lions Fan in SK]

That's funny. I just heard an interview with Jason on the radio here in Saskatoon that Calgary's offer was appealing as well and very professional. Call me bitter, I hope he goes anywhere but Sask. especially after the beer bowl. If I recall, Jason had some blunt comments regarding the fans behaviour that day!

[rayallen20]

I wish Wally never got rid of Clermont...stupid move imo

[ziggy]

Sometimes you need to wait and see what you get before you decide whether or not the move was stupid. If we pick up a receiver that can stretch the defences or maybe a LB like Lloyd or a good DB then it may not be so stupid. Time will tell, its a little early to judge IMO.

[CartWheelFan]

Sometimes you need to wait and see what you get

We got NOTHING. We just released him outright. It's a bum deal. Nough said! Wally must be in full out panic mode because the inevitable comparisons to his tenure in Calgary are starting to pop up. There he was all flash ie great regular season records each year, and no finish ie not nearly enough Grey Cup appreances or wins!

[Big Time]

Yeah, I find it very difficult to believe that Wally could not have bled at least a draft pick out of someone for JC. I can understand asking someone like Ty Williams to retire because of age and price, but to say that there is no place for JC is baffling. Toronto loves to overpay for players on the downside of their careers. You could have traded him there! Hamilton and Montreal may have bitten too.

The only downside for JC playing with the Riders is that it doesn't make a lick of difference how well you can catch the ball if you have no one to throw it to you. Hopefully this move paves the way for Lloyd or MacKenzie to come our way.

[SammyGreene]

From Globe and Mail story:

Clermont, known as a sure-handed possession receiver but not a deep threat, admitted yesterday that wherever he lands, he will be taking a pay cut.

It is believed the Roughriders' offer averages about $115,000 a year.

Clermont was basically untradeable at $180,000 per season. A high-quality Canadian starter is free to sign anywhere right now and no one will ante up the same money the Lions paid him. Every GM/coach is saying the right things about him but won't cough up that kind of dough.
I know I was quite surprised to learn how much his new deal was worth when he re-signed in 2007 given Geroy is making $200,000 season. To have nearly $400,000 tied up into 2 receivers is a huge hit to your salary cap.

[David]

Wally said he could of asked for a 4th round pick, then the other team would probably waited a month to try to grind him down for a 5th round pick, all the while JC is sitting on pins and needles wondering where he and his young family will have to move to...and all the media speculating on rumours where he would be traded to, ect. Rather than subject a player he greatly respected to that circus, Wally thought the best move was to release him outright and let JC negotiate his own deal with the team he wants to play for.

I think this was a respectful way to release a veteran player who no longer fit into their plans, rather than dredge up the club's player evaluation in trade talks...that JC was too slow, injured, grossly overpaid and his best days were behind him.

Yes, good interview with Wally on The Football Show last night. What he said (and you've noted here) made sense. Just to add one more point. He has too much respect for him to trade him somewhere he potentially didn't want to go. This way JC can pick the best situation for himself and his family.

DH 8)

[ziggy]

Sometimes you need to wait and see what you get

We got NOTHING. We just released him outright. It's a bum deal. Nough said! Wally must be in full out panic mode because the inevitable comparisons to his tenure in Calgary are starting to pop up. There he was all flash ie great regular season records each year, and no finish ie not nearly enough Grey Cup appreances or wins!

Well not quite, we got 180 K to spend elsewhere. Thats a sizeable chunk of change in the CFL and unless it is foolishly squandered on a player that doesn't pan out, we have not yet got "Nothing". Lets hope it is spent wisely.

[WestCoastJoe]

Wally decided to separate Jason Clermont from the team.

Then he had to decide how to do it. Trade him? That could take a while. What would he get in return? How long would Clermont have to hang out there as trade bait? As Buono suggests, teams could outwait him until he eventually had to release him.

Once the decision was made to part ways, Buono gave Clermont as much dignity as he could. Complete freedom. Immediately. To strike a deal wherever he wishes.

I agree with the way Buono has handled it. Hanging Clermont out as trade bait is beneath the dignity Clermont has earned. Who gives a rat's ass about a draft pick in comparison to that? A less secure, a less confident GM would have scratched and clawed to get something in return. Buono did not do that.

If a GM gave a veteran player a choice in how to part ways, I think a player would say this is the most advantageous and respectful for him.

Disagreeing with the decision to part ways with Clermont is a separate matter. And, in that regard, I understand Buono's reasoning. Go vertical. Paris Jackson. As well as SMS, which I don't think Buono cited in his reasoning.

[Blitz]

From Globe and Mail story:

Clermont, known as a sure-handed possession receiver but not a deep threat, admitted yesterday that wherever he lands, he will be taking a pay cut.

It is believed the Roughriders' offer averages about $115,000 a year.

Clermont was basically untradeable at $180,000 per season. A high-quality Canadian starter is free to sign anywhere right now and no one will ante up the same money the Lions paid him. Every GM/coach is saying the right things about him but won't cough up that kind of dough.
I know I was quite surprised to learn how much his new deal was worth when he re-signed in 2007 given Geroy is making $200,000 season. To have nearly $400,000 tied up into 2 receivers is a huge hit to your salary cap.

We overpaid Clermont on his new contract to begin 2007,, although he had an excellent season in the first year of his contract, finishing third in receiving in the CFL. Clremont was a fan favorite, a Canadian receiver, and an integral part of our offence until this season. However, there is no question that the league is built on speed these days. I think we'll be better off with Paris in the slot and getting more speed on the outside.

While I also wish we could have gotten something for Clermont there was no one likely to pick up his contract at $180,000 and give up a decent draft pick as well. Sammy is right about that. In the meantime, word would have gotten out that we were shopping him and it would have gotten everyone wound up about it. Wally avoided that by releasing Clermont quickly and it will free up cap space because we'll be able to get an import receiver for a lot less money.

We have to retool this team, especially our receiving crew. That was obvious in the playoffs. We also need to be able to throw the dam football longer than 6-8 yards if we want to loosen up a a defence next year in the playoffs. Clermont was a lot better off in our 2007 offence, dispite the fact that he was one of the players who lobbied for Chapdelaine back. The Chap's crossing patterns took a lot out of Clermont, who never should have been told to run those patterns against underneath zone anyway.

It's time to move on. Clermont gave us some key catches during his time here but he was too expensive going forward and he wouldn't have taken a redeuced salary to stay. I remember the contract negotiations prior to 2007.... and Clermont forced the club to pay highly for his services. At 180,000 a season you have to finish in the top 10 receivers in the league and Clermont didn't even make the Top 20 this year.

[CatsEyes]

And now it's official:

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/stor ... tball/home

[Vern Halen]

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

This is great news for us, especially me. I've always been a huge fan of Clermont's - tough as nails and a great ambassador for his team and his league.

Now the guy that was wearing a 82 Clermont Rider jersey at this year's Labour Day game looks like freakin' Nostradamus...

I am interested to see what Wally has planned for the Lion O - I always thought that JC would be an integral part of ANY offence.

Shouldn't be too much of a problem with the SMS - I can see Sask letting Dominguez go (damaged goods, sadly, he's a great player and great human being) and Flick as well.