For some members of the Tiger-Cats 2015 team, Tuesday was the last time they’ll set foot in Tim Hortons Field as a member of the Black and Gold.
The reality set in on locker cleanup day, as players packed up their belongings and prepared to head to their respective homes for the off-season. Those under contract for the 2016 season will be back in just over five months to begin their pursuit of the 104th Grey Cup, but it is no secret that a number of players on the current roster are up for free agency in February, following the team’s third straight East Final trip.
Some guys may receive offers to try their hand at the NFL level, while others will wait until February’s free agency period to assess their open-market value in the CFL, and some may step away from football entirely and call it a professional career.
It’s the nature of the game, especially with the CFL’s new one-year deal policy for veterans; the sport is one of significant year-to-year change-over. Football is a business, after all, and each player has to do what is best for themselves and their families when it comes to their careers.
“We understand that a player has a career and he’s only going to sign a couple contracts throughout his career most likely,” said Coach and General Manager Kent Austin, “so we respect that process.”
Austin, whose responsibilities now shift more heavily towards the GM portion of his organizational titles, told media Tuesday that negotiations are already underway with a number of players but he knows that some are bound to test the open market in February.
“Every player’s at a different stage and has been given a different level of counsel,” noted Austin, “and we get that, but hopefully we have some players that are open to signing before the free agent deadline.”
The process is never easy, and there are bound to be wrinkles in the original plan, but the staff are in the process of evaluating every possible situation in the efforts to put together the best possible team in 2016.
“It’s not a linear model,” explained Austin, “it’s going to undulate and have a different complexion based on every guy and how things play out.”
“We’re going to do what we need to do to keep the quality of our football team together and keep us competitive, and we’re going to prioritize that way.”
The first priority is re-signing the players currently on the team’s roster, prior to looking outside of the organization for solutions, explained Austin. And the trick is to assemble a team with the same level of depth and versatility that allowed them to compete for a championship this season, despite dealing with numerous injuries in key positions.
“We just have to look at the entire puzzle and make sure we have the depth and versatility that we need to stay competitive through a tough season,” said Austin. “Unfortunately we’ve had a lot of experience with injuries, and I think some of our versatility — that philosophy across the football team and not just with respect to ratio — has helped us stay competitive.”
One thing was made overwhelmingly clear by both the pending free agents and those secured under contract for the 2016 season: the Tiger-Cats are a great organization to suit up for.
Every one of the pending free agents who were spoken to on Tuesday expressed a thankfulness to the organization and fans for their time in Hamilton, and expressed an interest in returning to the Black and Gold next season.
“I’m sure it’s the common sentiment that we’d all like to be back together,” said Canadian corner Courtney Stephen, who has played his entire rookie contract out in Hamilton.
Defensive leader and Most Outstanding Defensive Player finalist Simoni Lawrence, who will return for his third season in the Black and Gold in 2016, was up front with his praise for both the city and team.
“We have the best organization here, it’s easily the top,” said Lawrence. “I sound like I’m campaigning to free agents right now, but it’s the truth, everything’s first class here. We just have fun here, it’s a great place to be, I enjoy it and I wouldn’t play anywhere else.”
Lawrence echoed the sentiments of his fellow returning teammates, stating that he’d obviously like to see his current teammates return, but that he wouldn’t try to force anyone into a situation that wasn’t right for them.
“[I want] whatever’s best for guys and their family,” said quarterback Zach Collaros, who is also under contract in 2016, “but this is a great facility and I think this is the best organization in the CFL, so I’d think that guys would want to be back here.”
