Potential Lions 2025 free agent list

[SammyGreene]

Not sure I've ever seen a CFL GM be so productive or active or how ever you want to term it, right from the get-go of free agency, as Mr. Ed has done now.

A whole pile of quality starters, including 5 top notch Canadians (J-Grant, Ford, Beard, R. Smith & Metchie).

They also - like all teams (IMO) - retain quite a bit of talent from last year's roster - like those 2 young LB studs, and those 2 dangerous running backs.

Going to be a very interestin' season in EE land: new, rookie HC (an Alberta guy); can Tre Ford step-it up as a quality starting QB? All this new FA talent. Hope they can erase the stink of that clown-show hiring of Chris Jones.

It’s pretty frustrating when it’s long been known the weakness of the Lions is the interior of their offensive & defensive lines.
Then in one afternoon a Western rival gets deals with the starting defensive tackles of the defending Grey Cup champs then compliments their best o-lineman by getting 1 of the top nationals available for an elite centre/guard combo.
And for good measure they add two more national defensive starters from the champs and what was the best defence in the league last season.

[don corleone]

Might be one of the worst years yet for teams not paying bonus clauses and dumping guys if they don't agree to re-negotiate just to turn around and have a team like the Elks go hog wild pushing salaries up that affects the whole league. I wonder if they would have been so aggressive if they knew they were going to be on the hook for the entire amount.

Guessing Metchie, Robbie Smith, Brinkman, and maybe Julien Grant are all pushing $180,000. Ceresna and Beard will be over $200,000. All it took was money.

Hard to see them not keeping Noah Curtis.

[don corleone]

Deontae Williams sounds like a nice addition with good size and some experience. Lions are doing well addressing areas of concern.

[don corleone]

Disappointing turn with Keon Hatcher and wondering if he is fully recovered from the ACL. Part of it is the effort put into carrying him through last season when in hindsight the money could have been better spent. Maybe a situation similar to Brett Boyko and he'll be back by the end of the week but it sounds more serious than that. Good receiver at the right price I could see Calgary perking up their ears. Maybe Hamilton.

Hearing Geno Lewis talking to Montreal

[Hambone]

Might be one of the worst years yet for teams not paying bonus clauses and dumping guys if they don't agree to re-negotiate just to turn around and have a team like the Elks go hog wild pushing salaries up that affects the whole league. I wonder if they would have been so aggressive if they knew they were going to be on the hook for the entire amount.

Guessing Metchie, Robbie Smith, Brinkman, and maybe Julien Grant are all pushing $180,000. Ceresna and Beard will be over $200,000. All it took was money.

Hard to see them not keeping Noah Curtis.

The bonus clauses are not for extra money. They are for money to be paid in advance for playing regular season football. I think in the case of just about every one of those released to avoid paying them salary advances there have been question marks about their ability to live up to their salaries that didn't exist before the past season started.

That would be quite a hike for Metchie and if true would indicate a big resetting of the DB market upwards. He made $140K last year including $15K in marketing money. Dequoy was highest paid NAT DB at $153K including $15K marketing.

Ceresna was already at $210K including $15K marketing, Smith $165K including $10K marketing. No numbers out on Brinkman's last deal. Beard was at $200K including $5K marketing.

Ceresna and Beard both love playing in Edmonton. Beard obviously does being a life long Edmonton resident except for his Jones imposed 2 year exile to Hamilton. I think both wanted to return there to the point the would take far less there than elsewhere. Anybody else would need to significantly overpay to land them as in take whatever Hervey is offering and add at least $20K more. For Beard that might not be enough.

[Hambone]

Hearing Geno Lewis talking to Montreal

I remain of the opinion Lewis winds up in Calgary to catch passes from his BFF VA.

Montreal appears to have lost Julien-Grant and still have NAT receivers Behar and Cibasu unsigned. It would seem being active looking for more NAT talent than Fervius, Oladejo to go with Philpot would be a priority. Reggie White Jr also remains unsigned but that have a lot of other American depth in Austin Mack, Charleston Rambo, Tyler Snead and Cole Spieker

[don corleone]

Hearing Geno Lewis talking to Montreal

I remain of the opinion Lewis winds up in Calgary to catch passes from his BFF VA.

Montreal appears to have lost Julien-Grant and still have NAT receivers Behar and Cibasu unsigned. It would seem being active looking for more NAT talent than Fervius, Oladejo to go with Philpot would be a priority. Reggie White Jr also remains unsigned but that have a lot of other American depth in Austin Mack, Charleston Rambo, Tyler Snead and Cole Spieker

I was surprised to hear rumours of Lewis talking to Montreal and took it as maybe a sign he was running out of options. Calgary may have room but I can't see them paying Lewis more than Begelton. What would be nice for the Stamps is if Malik Henry can come back and play again. As is they have Cam Echols who kept Tre Odums Duke on the bench all last year.

3DN mentions 4 teams in on Lawler without an offer from Winnipeg yet.

Also like the Tre Roberson to the RedBlacks signing. Ottawa is going to be a tough team to play again this year imo.

[SammyGreene]

I wonder whatever last offer the Lions made to Hatcher on a reduced new deal is the maximum they can spend on another receiver or would they find a way to make an exception for Lawler given his ability and familarity with Buck.

3 Down Nation's Justin Dunk was reporting today Hamilton is aggressively pursuing Lawler. Farhan said last night he thought Lawler will be too rich for the Lions.

If both Lawler and Lewis head east or price is too high, do the Lions circle back to Hatcher or look at the next available FAs as better options? Hatcher just hired Kenny Kim as his agent and maybe it was a case of looking what his worth was on the open market first, the same way Boyko did before re-signing with Edmonton.

And will still don't know if Jevon Cottoy is also being asked to take a paycut as his Feb. 7 bonus looms.

[B.C.FAN]

I wonder whatever last offer the Lions made to Hatcher on a reduced new deal is the maximum they can spend on another receiver or would they find a way to make an exception for Lawler given his ability and familarity with Buck.

3 Down Nation's Justin Dunk was reporting today Hamilton is aggressively pursuing Lawler. Farhan said last night he thought Lawler will be too rich for the Lions.

If both Lawler and Lewis head east or price is too high, do the Lions circle back to Hatcher or look at the next available FAs as better options? Hatcher just hired Kenny Kim as his agent and maybe it was a case of looking what his worth was on the open market first, the same way Boyko did before re-signing with Edmonton.

And will still don't know if Jevon Cottoy is also being asked to take a paycut as his Feb. 7 bonus looms.

I'm not sure what Buck wants, but considering Winnipeg started 3 rookie receivers in the Grey Cup last year, I suspect he'd be willing to start one rookie this year along with proven commodities McInnis, Cottoy, Eberhardt and Berryhill. The Lions have already signed Lenius, who is better than any national backup they had last year.

If Buck wants another vet, Rhymes is available and his old position is available.

[Hambone]

I wonder if Hatcher's return from injury placed doubt in BC's mind that he will ever fully return to his old form. Another offseason of training may overcome that and it may not. If he has a sizeable roster bonus due then BC may have been taking on a big risk to pay it out only to find out in camp that nope he's only going to be a Grade B- Keon Hatcher as opposed to the Grade A+ we all grew to admire. Don't want to be paying for the latter if you're getting the former.

I do also hope that it may turn into him checking out the market and finding circling back to BC is not out of the question. However that often is too much of a bitter pill for a lot of players to swallow.

[Hambone]

So much for the idea of Litre replacing Mackie if he heads back east. Litre has been extended thru 2026 by Hamilton.

https://3downnation.com/2025/02/03/hami ... ough-2026/

[SammyGreene]

So Farhan suggesting RedBlacks, Ti-Cats and Stamps in the chase for Lawler and Lewis. And mid-level for Lions.

[Hambone]

I'd take mid-level as being like Rhymes, Michel, Dunbar Jr.

[don corleone]

So much for the idea of Litre replacing Mackie if he heads back east. Litre has been extended thru 2026 by Hamilton.

https://3downnation.com/2025/02/03/hami ... ough-2026/

Maybe that takes Mackie's options away as well and he remains a Lion. Would be okay. I'm guessing they have a good offer on the table.

I was going to mention Dunbar but you beat me to it. Rasheed Bailey is a baller who might come cheap.

[SammyGreene]

Someone needs to tell Hervey he can stop now, Nationals under contract or have agreed to terms:

Offence: Tre Ford, Gittens Jr, Jarion-Grant, Korte, Beard, Jack-Kurdyla, Boyko, MacKellar
Defence: Tyrell Ford, Metchie, Smith

That's 11 starter quality nationals including 5 on the o-line. Meanwhile we still don't know what's up with at least two national spots on our o-line.