Ryder Varga traded to Argos

[don corleone]

Nobody taking time off yet in Leo land.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/01/06/lions-acq ... argonauts/

Huge signing literally. I wonder what this does for Kent Perkins.

Big blow to give up Varga as I know he was a fan fave.

Time to buy that season tickket

[SammyGreene]

Nobody taking time off yet in Leo land.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/01/06/lions-acq ... argonauts/

Huge signing literally. I wonder what this does for Kent Perkins.

Big blow to give up Varga as I know he was a fan fave.

Time to buy that season tickket

Good trade. Allen an all-star last season and it means the Lions are moving on from Perkins. Varga showed plenty of promise last season but ultimately will be blocked from a bigger role with Hladik in front of him and Josh Woods returning. Varga in final year of entry level contract.

[B.C.FAN]

Nobody taking time off yet in Leo land.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/01/06/lions-acq ... argonauts/

Huge signing literally. I wonder what this does for Kent Perkins.

Big blow to give up Varga as I know he was a fan fave.

Time to buy that season tickket

Wow! Allen is a perennial all-star right tackle who won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman award in 2023. He is an instant upgrade over Kent Perkins.

I like Varga but he plays the same position as Ben Hladik and Bo Lokombo, and Hladik is the starter.

[Hambone]

Nobody taking time off yet in Leo land.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/01/06/lions-acq ... argonauts/

Huge signing literally. I wonder what this does for Kent Perkins.

Big blow to give up Varga as I know he was a fan fave.

Time to buy that season tickket

Good trade. Allen an all-star last season and it means the Lions are moving on from Perkins. Varga showed plenty of promise last season but ultimately will be blocked from a bigger role with Hladik in front of him and Josh Woods returning. Varga in final year of entry level contract.

Solid move any time you can add a 2 time All-CFL tackle for a depth LB and pick. BC was holding 2 2nd round picks in 2026 thanks to the VA trade. Allen is under contract for 2025 whereas Perkins is a pending FA. Allen is a West Coast guy and only 6 months older than Perkins. Hailing from notorious Compton, CA he played collegiately at U of Hawaii.

[Hambone]

Nobody taking time off yet in Leo land.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/01/06/lions-acq ... argonauts/

Huge signing literally. I wonder what this does for Kent Perkins.

Big blow to give up Varga as I know he was a fan fave.

Time to buy that season tickket

Wow! Allen is a perennial all-star right tackle who won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman award in 2023. He is an instant upgrade over Kent Perkins.

I like Varga but he plays the same position as Ben Hladik and Bo Lokombo, and Hladik is the starter.

Varga was solid at times especially vs the run. At the same time I think he struggled with pass coverage responsibilities.

[Hambone]

This significant trade probably deserves its own thread. Could one of the mods pull the trade related posts out and move them to their own thread? @David ?

[Toppy Vann]

This significant trade probably deserves its own thread. Could one of the mods pull the trade related posts out and move them to their own thread? @David ?

I agree with that!

This is a good player BC is gettiing.

I 'm posting here how the Argos see Ryder Varga's potential.


Here's how the ARGOS writer Mike Hogan is announcing this:

HOGAN: Argos Acquire Ryder Varga

For the second year in a row the Argos have been involved in a significant January trade.

Last year they caused shock waves when they dealt receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to Edmonton for defensive lineman Jake Ceresna. Fan reaction wasn’t great, as trading a popular, talented player rarely elicits warm and fuzzy feelings among the base.

But it worked out. Ceresna was a vital piece of the Grey Cup puzzle last year.

To give up a player of that calibre the Boatmen had to get quality back. They did. Not only do they get a high draft pick in 2026, but in Varga they also get one of the best up and coming Canadians in the CFL.

“To see how this young man has matured into a player that’s not only a great special teams player but has proven that he can be a solid defensive player strengthens us at our core,” general manager Michael Clemons told Argonauts.ca. “To add youth and excellence to our tremendous base of players is a real victory for us.”

“He’s a hard-nosed football player,” Ryan DinwiddIe told Argonauts.ca. “Obviously he’s going to help us out on special teams, we’ll see how we can get him involved in the defence and go from there. I think he’s going to make us a better football club; he’s a blue-collar guy who’s going to add to our room.”

https://www.argonauts.ca/2025/01/06/hog ... der-varga/


This was a 3Down Article from Feb 2024 when the Argos extended Dejon Allen.

Argos extend Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman winner Dejon Allen, one other

The 29-year-old was previously under contract through 2024. According to 3DownNation‘s John Hodge, he will now earn $210,000 in hard money for the 2025 season, with $75,000 fully guaranteed.

https://3downnation.com/2024/02/15/argo ... one-other/

[don corleone]

My initial thought was Allen was going to be expensive and I see he is for 2025 although not ranked in the top 15 of 2024. Toronto must be thinking of pushing Rayn Hunter out to tackle permanently. As for the player himself there is lots to like with the bonus of being a west coast guy and familiarity with the time zone. There must have been others bidding in order for TO to get what they got.

Could also be Varga in the last year of his ELC is being viewed as a potential future flight risk given his Saskatchewan roots. Allen could be the RT for the next 6 years.

As for Kent Perkins I thojught he did a good job stepping up to be a starter when he did and think he will land somewhere. They say "No man is an island" but an Offensive Tackle is close.

[David]

Our Leos have swung a trade with the Toronto Argonauts.

Ryder Varga and a 2nd rounder in 2026 in return for Dejon Allen, an All-CFL selection at RT the last two seasons, winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 2023.

I love that we have addressed a weakness. We needed to get better on the right side of the Oline. Varga was not likely to be in our plans this year given our surplus of linebackers.

Don't love that Allen is 30 years old and an import, while we effectively give up 2 young Canadians.


Overall though, I am happy with the trade.


DH

[Blitz]

In any trade, a team has to give up something good to get something good. I like Ryder Varga and think he is going to be a very good football player. However, our offensive line has been such an issue for so long, I think its the most important area of the team to address and we just traded for an excellent offensive lineman.

[Hambone]

My initial thought was Allen was going to be expensive and I see he is for 2025 although not ranked in the top 15 of 2024. Toronto must be thinking of pushing Ryan Hunter out to tackle permanently. As for the player himself there is lots to like with the bonus of being a west coast guy and familiarity with the time zone. There must have been others bidding in order for TO to get what they got.

That was a bit strange. 3D reported on Allen's extension thru 2025 back in mid-Feb then omitted him from their highest paid list article on May 10th.

I don't know if they would push Hunter out to tackle given he's won back to back All-CFL awards at LG. Listed at 6'4 324 guard just seems like the best fit for him. They do have a couple behemouth young NAT OL in 6'8 346 Dylan Giffen and 6'7 343 Sage Doxtater. Doxtater was taken by the Argos in the 2021 Draft. He returned to U of New Mexico for a final year. He signed with New Orleans as a UDFA then went to the XFL and UFL before finally joining the Argos with 3 games left in the 2024 season. He spent the rest of the year on the PR.

[Hambone]

In any trade, a team has to give up something good to get something good. I like Ryder Varga and think he is going to be a very good football player. However, our offensive line has been such an issue for so long, I think its the most important area of the team to address and we just traded for an excellent offensive lineman.

As someone mentioned in the other thread it was shaping up for a crowded group at LB. Woods should be back. He and Hladik are both under contract. Ace Eley was an excellent addition last year who warrants a lot of rotational reps. The only thing that might cause concern in losing Varga is a big question about Lokombo. He's 34 now. He's had to deal with injuries in each of the past 3 years. He also was the 7th highest paid LB in 2024. That all adds up to a high possibility BC moves on from him despite his NAT status. However that could be OK. Recent additions in the secondary in terms of NAT talent is allowing a shift from reliance on LB to the secondary for spots for NATs in the back 8.

Never hurts to have a Rainbow Warrior in the lineup does it Blitz? ;wink:

[Toppy Vann]

In any trade, a team has to give up something good to get something good. I like Ryder Varga and think he is going to be a very good football player. However, our offensive line has been such an issue for so long, I think its the most important area of the team to address and we just traded for an excellent offensive lineman.

That's the only way to look at this trade or any other trade.

Both teams get value in this trade.

Varga fills a piece for the Argos they seem to covet for special teams and a wait see for an role in their D.

Argos have been astute traders at times like the Ceresna deal.

Yeah it's nationals versus an American but BC is getting a good player here and no fan has suggested that the OL coudn 't use a bit of change up.

I still think the old OL coach Kelly Bates was in tough given the type of offense BC HC's and OC's have been running where the run game despite William Stanback wasn't really central to what they were doing.

[Hambone]

Simple fact is BC needed to upgrade their OL and the scraps that might come available free agency weren't going to get it done. There's 3 or maybe 4 names that look intriguing like MacKellar, Dobson and McEwen but who knows if any of them will still be available by the time the negotiating window opens up a month from now. Most of the rest of the names would be cases of swapping our journeymen out for someone else's. I think it pointed to a situation whereby the only sure way to upgrade the OL was via trade. So kudos to Rigmaiden for striking early.

[OV:54-40]

My initial thought was Allen was going to be expensive and I see he is for 2025 although not ranked in the top 15 of 2024. Toronto must be thinking of pushing Ryan Hunter out to tackle permanently. As for the player himself there is lots to like with the bonus of being a west coast guy and familiarity with the time zone. There must have been others bidding in order for TO to get what they got.

That was a bit strange. 3D reported on Allen's extension thru 2025 back in mid-Feb then omitted him from their highest paid list article on May 10th.

I don't know if they would push Hunter out to tackle given he's won back to back All-CFL awards at LG. Listed at 6'4 324 guard just seems like the best fit for him. They do have a couple behemouth young NAT OL in 6'8 346 Dylan Giffen and 6'7 343 Sage Doxtater. Doxtater was taken by the Argos in the 2021 Draft. He returned to U of New Mexico for a final year. He signed with New Orleans as a UDFA then went to the XFL and UFL before finally joining the Argos with 3 games left in the 2024 season. He spent the rest of the year on the PR.

Kinda an iffy trade for the Argos IMO, but could work out.

They have a plethora of young Canadian LBs on the roster already, but maybe they figure Varga is a good upgrade who can play reps on D right away (they might also fear losing stud LB McManis in free agency?)

They might also be hoping the 2nd rounder in 2026 yields a great prospect.

They do have some young OTs in the pipeline, like former draft picks Doxtater and John Bosse who got a start last year at the end of the season in a nothing game.

But still, they gave up a proven, top notch OT, and those don't grow on trees.

Might be a salary dump was part of the equation - saving some buck$ to sign other valued FAs.

Very good get for the Lions IMO, and 30 is hardly old for an O-lineman - many CFL greats at the position have played well into their thirties.