Clermont

[Lion Guy]

Taken fron Riderfans website....comments??

Clermont on The Wolf 104.9

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The early-morning DJ, I think it was Ballsy, asked Clermont straight out if he will be a member of the Riders soon. Basically loaded the question for Clermont (the weather's better here, it's cheaper to live here, your girlfriend is here....)

Clermont's answer: "I'm from here, I own a house here, my girlfriend and family are here, I have a job with Royal Lepage here, my contract ends after this year. Add up the columns and you'll get a pretty good idea of where I will be next year"

Also he expects to receive his Grey Cup ring sometime in May.

[Rammer]

That is while Wally and he are in negotiations, we will see. I expect to give into this line of thinking if JC goes to TC without a renewal in his contract. If Paris can has just signed (I thought he was in the group prior to the GC game, taking advantage of the bonus window), that may also be a hard negotiation by Wally infront of JC.

[Lionut]

It's never as easy as all that, of course, especially if Andy Fantuz is playing well and looking for a big raise by this time next year. Keep in mind as well that Saskatchewan has been shedding payroll like crazy, and has more to go in order to get down to the cap, err, "salary management" figure.

Of course, if Jason is ready to take a "home town discount" to sign with the Riders, that's his prerogative, and after all the great years he has given this club no one should begrudge him that choice. You can't assume, however, that the Riders are going to make the best dollar offer for Jason when he hits free agency, as they simply might not be in a position to do so.

[lion24]

i guess i know my answer that i have been posting of whether clermont will be resigning? sounds like he is not thrilled at coming back so why bother really?

[SammyGreene]

Of course, if Jason is ready to take a "home town discount" to sign with the Riders, that's his prerogative, and after all the great years he has given this club no one should begrudge him that choice. You can't assume, however, that the Riders are going to make the best dollar offer for Jason when he hits free agency, as they simply might not be in a position to do so.

Clermont may feel this is the next chapter in his career given he now has a Grey Cup ring with the Lions. He already is paid very well with his current deal which he admits himself. It's likely going to take more than that to keep him in B.C. and I'm not sure the Lions are in position to do that given how much Geroy is making, never mind Jackson's new deal.

Also what has to be factored in is a good balance of the payroll has shifted over to the defensive side ? which wasn't the case when Wally first got here ? especially with the emergence of Brent Johnson and Javy Glatt who also just signed new deals.

[Rammer]

There's nothing in there about him becoming a Roughrider this season however J-C told Ballsie off the air that Lions' GM Wally Buono and Riders' GM Eric Tillman are trying to work out a deal right now.

http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2007...come-home.html

The above statement brought to you by a local Saskatchewan reporter.......interesting. Since JC is his own agent, perhaps this is the discussions that they have been in for the past couple of weeks....

[SammyGreene]

There's nothing in there about him becoming a Roughrider this season however J-C told Ballsie off the air that Lions' GM Wally Buono and Riders' GM Eric Tillman are trying to work out a deal right now.

http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2007...come-home.html

The above statement brought to you by a local Saskatchewan reporter.......interesting. Since JC is his own agent, perhaps this is the discussions that they have been in for the past couple of weeks....

IF true.. sure would like to know when and what made his time as a Lion go south?

Can the Riders even afford his current deal and what type of compensation would Wally be seeking?

[squishy35]

Well, if a trade is in the works, the Riderfans.com message board has been suggesting that some of their D Linemen may be on the outs with management (a la Nate Davis). As well, Wally is very good at trading for 1st round draft picks, as we all know.

[Lionut]

If this is true, that's a fairly hefty salary for the Riders to be taking on, right at a time when they still need to shed some payroll. If I'm Kerry Joseph, I'm getting ready for that phone call inviting me to either, a) renegotiate, or b) buy some change of address cards. Tillman would be in a pretty strong position to force a renegotiation on Joseph, as there are likely no other CFL teams who see him as a 400K a year QB either. (Maybe the Argos, but they have the same cap problems as everyone else.)

I would be saddened to see Jason go, as I was hoping he would be a Lion for life. At the same time, it's a business, and this is the unfortunate side of it. Again, if this is true, I hope Wally is driving a tough bargain, as we would not only be trading a great multi-dimensional player, but one who is also Canadian, AND we would be doing so to a divisional rival, traditionally a no-no. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what plays out...

[Rammer]

There's nothing in there about him becoming a Roughrider this season however J-C told Ballsie off the air that Lions' GM Wally Buono and Riders' GM Eric Tillman are trying to work out a deal right now.

http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2007...come-home.html

The above statement brought to you by a local Saskatchewan reporter.......interesting. Since JC is his own agent, perhaps this is the discussions that they have been in for the past couple of weeks....

IF true.. sure would like to know when and what made his time as a Lion go south?

Can the Riders even afford his current deal and what type of compensation would Wally be seeking?

Two players names are at the top of my list, and remember the Riders don't have a first round selection due to the trade of Holmes to Hamilton, Hunt and Fantuz. Hunt may be difficult as he would push Johnson to the second string and I am sure that Johnson got low starter money, but to high for the SMS to be a backup. Now Fantuz, is signed for the next three seasons, and wouldn't be at JC's level, but could grow into it, great hands and decent speed.

Second tier would be Best, OL that the Riders drafted last season, him along with a pick or another young player and it may come to pass. But remember another years service by JC isn't so bad to fall back to, given our NI receiving depth.

[Shi Zi Mi]

There's nothing in there about him becoming a Roughrider this season however J-C told Ballsie off the air that Lions' GM Wally Buono and Riders' GM Eric Tillman are trying to work out a deal right now.

http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2007...come-home.html

The above statement brought to you by a local Saskatchewan reporter.......interesting. Since JC is his own agent, perhaps this is the discussions that they have been in for the past couple of weeks....

Andy Fantuz may be the answer to the "who" part of any trade involving Sask.

Losing LION82 would be sad indeed.........but if that truly is where his heart lies, then life is too short to not chase your dreams when the opportunity presents itself. If true, I wish him all the best and better luck than he had in 2006.

[West Coast Blue Fan]

brought to you by a local Saskatchewan reporter.......

When did Rod Pedersen get upgraded to "reporter" from hack?

That guy makes Marty York and Scott Taylor look like Woodward and Bernstein.

Colon, Jackson and Boden and Fantuz? I'd take that....we'd be set for years with that lineup.

[B.C.FAN]

If a trade must be made, Andy Fantuz or Chris Best would be great to get in return. But Best would first need to sign a CFL contract. He is up for the NFL draft this year and, after his outstanding play in the East-West Shrine Game, is likely to get a lot of consideration down south.

[Bosco]

Among many reasons, I would think that Eric Tillman would like to acquire Cleremont to right a previous wrong. When Cleremont was GM of the Renegades, he passed on Cleremont with the first two draft selections, and Jason ended up with the Lions. Tillman has subsequently defended his actions by saying: "I'm not the idiot who passed on drafting Cleremont...I'm the idiot who TWICE passed on drafting Cleremont!"

[Rammer]

Clermont was suppose to set up his realty business in Saskatoon correct?

Then his site is now suggesting that he is the source for Regina reality.....????

http://www.jasonclermont.com/