Toronto Argonauts face big questions heading into free agency

It has been a while since I've written something about the Toronto Argonauts off-season which I do apologize for as my other obligations and a family vacation took my focus away.

We are now back for 2024 on a new platform (take a look at this post to understand why the move was made) and there's no better time than now to stretch the writing fingers and get back into writing about what the past few months have looked like for the Double Blue.

Let's address the biggest change and that's to the coaching staff with Corey Mace getting a well-deserved chance for his first CFL head coaching job with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It shouldn't come as a surprise given the body of work he's had in his years with the Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders as an assistant.

On top of that, he is a respected person around the league so he will have no trouble recruiting players to join him, which brings us to the obvious concern in Toronto.

Mace has already poached a member of the Argonauts coaching staff bringing in Josh Bell to be Saskatchewan's pass game co-ordinator and defensive backs coach. Both Mace and Bell had a rapport back to their time in Calgary so it's no surprise to see them link up with the Roughriders.

Now the question on the minds of Argonauts fans is which players will join him, especially on defence. Looking at the free agent list players like Adarius Pickett, Wynton McManis, Jamal Peters, Shawn Oakman, Jonathan Jones and Dewayne Hendrix will be among the top targets.

During our virtual media call at the CFL winter meetings, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie made it a point to say that McManis and Pickett were players he would love to have back. The obvious hurdle is making the money work and it might have to be a situation where they could only afford to bring one back.

Dinwiddie also said a decision on the team's open defensive co-ordinator position would be announced soon. Assistant general manager John Murphy hinted that the team has some exciting news on that front which could mean some external candidates coming in the fold.

Kurleigh Gitten Jr. trade nets Argonauts a top pass rusher

At first glance, you can see why many were surprised to see the Argonauts trade Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to the Edmonton Elks for Jake Ceresna and the negotiating rights to American running back Khalan Laborn.

Gittens Jr. went into the 2023 season as one of the top Canadian receivers in the CFL and was compensated for that. The Argonauts signed Gittens Jr. to a three-year extension in 2022 making him one one of the highest-paid receivers in the league according to Justin Dunk of 3DownNation who reported that the 26-year-old is set to earn $210,000 in 2024 with a $55,000 off-season roster bonus scheduled for Feb. 1.

Let's first look at why Edmonton would make this trade. One of the big moves the Elks made this off-season was signing former Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson as they look to make a push to contend this season. Edmonton wanted to give their new quarterback a familiar target in Gittens Jr. who had his best year in the CFL with Bethel-Thompson as his quarterback when he made 81 catches for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns.

Now why would the Argonauts trade a quality receiver in Gittens Jr.? As Bryson Vesnaver of Pro Football Focus explains, Ceresna is a top pass rusher in the CFL owning the fourth-highest pass rush win rate last season at 15.5 per cent.

Chalk this trade up as both teams filling a need and on the Argos end, they are bringing back Canadian Tommy Nield who emerged as a favourite target of Chad Kelly. Could this also mean an opening for Dejon Brissett? The Mississauga, Ont., native is a pending free agent who saw an increased role last season especially as a downfield threat.

Some big questions to answer on offensive side of ball

The Argos would love to bring back every member from their roster last season but when a team goes 16-2, they become coveted targets around the league.

No player fits the bill more than A.J. Ouellette who rushed for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns. On top of that, he is a fan favourite making a point to be more involved off the field.

The Argos certainly value Ouellette's contributions and if you know his commitment to fitness, there shouldn't be a concern about a dropoff in ability on the field.

General manager Michael "Pinball" Clemons made it a point to say during the Winter Meetings that they value what Ouellette brings and were looking to get some business done before they started discussions with core players.

Well, they did extend the contracts of DaVaris Daniels and Folarin Orimolade who were not on expiring deals so this looks like a situation where they created some cap space by restructuring both players. That could provide some of the savings they need to get Ouellette back but also to see if bringing back Damonte Coxie is possible too.

CFL free agency doesn't open until Feb. 13 at noon and there is the tampering period negotiating window (tampering window) which opens on Feb. 5. This allows players to gauge what they could get on the open market.

Here is the official explanation from the CFL.ca website.

Teams can make a formal offer to any pending free agent during the negotiation window. If there is an offer made it has to be registered with the league office and the CFLPA. Offers made in the window are considered binding and cannot be rescinded.

Pending free agents move into an exclusive 48-hour negotiating window with the teams that hold their present contracts. At that time, every club in the league will be provided with the registered offers the pending free agents have received. Teams have until 10 a.m. ET Feb. 14 to make an offer to their pending free agents, including a copy of it to go to the league office and the CFLPA.

Pending free agents will then have from 10 a.m to noon ET on Feb. 14 to accept any offers that have been made to them by any club. If the player chooses to not accept any of those offers, they officially become free agents at 12:01 p.m. ET on Feb. 14. Any prior offers made are deemed to be withdrawn. When the free agent market opens, contract offers no longer need to be provided to the CFL or CFLPA.

For the Argos, any hopes of keeping any of their core players will certainly have to be done before that period. Sure some agents have probably figured out what could out on the open market for their client but if a player believes they can land a big payday, they won't be in a rush to extend with their current team.