Once again, the Argonauts permitted Argonaut.ca’s Mike Hogan to go behind the scenes for a story on the team’s free agency period.
There were just two conditions; he was not allowed to mention the name of any player who did not sign with the team, nor was he able to mention the name of any player whose name came up in trade talks.
In the CFL’s annual fishing expedition, also known as free agency, the Toronto Argonauts landed four whoppers before the tournament had officially opened.
With the signings of defensive tackle Ralph Holley in November, along with strongside linebacker Adarius Pickett, defensive tackle Dewayne Hendrix, and offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley in January – all of whom were already free agents – the team thought it may have made its biggest off-season additions even before other players would be made available.
It would make the free-agency period less eventful, and certainly less stressful knowing four big fish were already in the creel.
First-year head coach Mike Miller wants to improve the Argos in a couple of areas more than any others. He wants his team to get better on both the offensive and defensive lines, and he wants his team to be extremely physical.
Those four signings certainly helped address those needs.
A quick refresher course on the choreography of CFL free agency; at noon on February 1, an eight-day window opened for teams to talk to any player still under contract with another team, but not eligible to officially become a free agent at noon on February 10.
A deal could be agreed to but not made official until the 10th.
Argonauts.ca spoke with director of player personnel Jim Barker on Saturday, January 31, roughly 24 hours prior to the window opening, Barker was asked if there were any players the Argos were hoping would not be re-signed by their team between the time of the conversation and noon Sunday.
He explained that the Argos had identified five players as their main targets: two that they eventually did not sign, along with DaShaun Amos, Robert Priester, and Edmonton defensive end Jonathan Kongbo.
Admittedly, Kongbo’s name was more than a bit of a surprise; not because he was mentioned, but because his name was the first one brought up by the veteran CFL executive.
Signing the 29-year-old was the team’s main goal as they recognized the need to improve the pass rush.
The club was also still in negotiations with some of the players from the current roster, including return specialist Janarion Grant. While many believed the addition of Peyton Logan meant the club was ready to move ahead without the 2024 CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, that was not the case.
On Sunday February 1, the Argos personnel department gathered in the offensive coaches’ office at BMO Field. In attendance were general manager Michael Clemons, Barker, Miller, scouting assistant Marcus Grandison, as well the newest members of the group, pro and Canadian scouting assistant Nate Bickford, and pro scout coordinator Afram Jolak.
As noon struck and teams were able to reach out to potential free agents, the first call was made by Miller, who reached out Kongbo to express how interested the team was in signing him. The next call was made by Clemons, also to Kongbo, while the third call was made by Barker, who spoke with the player’s agent to talk terms.
The Argos were leaving little doubt that they saw something in the Democratic Republic of Congo-born, Surrey, B.C.-raised defensive lineman that has only been seen in flashes since he arrived in the CFL.
After the club contacted Kongbo, the next calls were made to Priester and his agent.
Agreements in principle with each player were completed before 2:30. Priester – one of the heroes of the 2024 Grey Cup and two-time Cup winner in Toronto – agreed to terms, as did Kongbo. It meant the Argos already had landed their main target, as well as one other player from their wish list.
After what had been a rather predictable couple of hours, something unexpected happened early in the afternoon as the Argos were approached about trading one of their current roster players. After giving serious weight to the inquiry, the offer was deemed to be too low to trade a player that they valued.
At 4:30 Argonauts.ca was informed that Amos has agreed to terms, meaning that the fan favourite was returning home after a season in Hamilton. The negotiations in that situation were carried out exclusively with Amos’ agent. Clemons would reach out to the defensive back after the deal was finalized.
By the end of the day, the team had come to terms with three of their five main targets, including the player they ranked as their primary big fish, Kongbo.
The next few days were a lot quieter. Word trickled down that receiver Dejon Brissett had signed in Calgary, while Brian Harelimana and Thiadric Hansen had re-signed with the Argos before they were able to become free agents.
On Wednesday the club made an announcement that was not easy. After a lengthy negotiation and after the Argos had made him a lucrative offer, linebacker Wynton McManis was granted his release, allowing him to sign with another club before officially becoming a free agent.
It was a decision that was not an easy one for either the team or the player. McManis and his family are settled in the Toronto area, while the Argos know what kind of ability and leadership #48 provided.
While that development was tough, the Argos headed into the weekend on a high. Grant re-signed, joining another handful of American players new to the CFL that were signed during the week.
The negotiation window for potential free agents closed on Sunday with the Argos having made just three offers: to Kongbo, Amos, and Priester.
As draft day hit, the most eventful part of the morning was the weather. The GTA was blanketed with snow making everyone’s commute to the office a little slower than usual.
The first to arrive at the football operations office at the Coca-Cola Coliseum – located a couple of John Haggerty punts east of BMO Field – were the newcomers to the department, Jolak and Bickford. Barker would stroll in shortly afterward.
Meanwhile, director of football operations Melissa Frith set up at the stadium, where she would send out and receive any contract offers.
The first news of the day came at 9:45, when an American prospect agreed to terms with the team, though at the time of this article, the contract had yet to be signed.
At 10:53 Barker spoke with Miller, double-checking his interest in a pair of potential free agents that had not re-signed with their team, or reportedly agreed to terms with another.
Seven minutes after that call began, it was learned that receiver Quincy Skinner Jr. had agreed to terms. The Vanderbilt product was a player that was put on the Argos radar by Bickford, marking the first time one of his finds had signed with the team.
The Arnprior, Ontario native was pumped when he heard the news and fist bumped Jolak, while Barker beamed like a proud father, watching the next generation of scouts get their feet wet.
Free agency officially opened at high noon. It was extremely quiet in the football operations building as only Jolak and Bickford remained, each poring over video of American prospects. Barker moved to BMO Field to join Clemons, Miller, Frith, and vice-president of business operations Chris Shewfelt, who had gathered in the offensive coaches’ office.
Frith sent contract offers at 12:04 to Kongbo, Amos, and Priester.
The club’s main target was the first to return a signed contract, just nine minutes after it was sent.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in Surrey B.C., Kongbo has underachieved since being selected fifth overall in the 2019 draft. The Argos are now his fifth CFL team, while he also spent two seasons in the NFL.
Last year with Edmonton, the 6’4”, 260-pound defensive end showed signs that he was ready to take the next step, improving his game under the microscope of his defensive line coach, Demetrious Maxie, who is back with the Argos this year.
How much did the Argos rely on Maxie’s assessment when making Kongbo their priority free agent?
“About 135 percent,” Barker told Argonauts.ca after the signing was official. “Once we watched him, we saw the difference in him playing for Demetrious. Demetrious Maxie thinks that guy is one of the best in the league. He’s long, he plays to the whistle, he’s relentless, and that’s what you see on film.”
The addition of Kongbo is potentially great news for another Argo that didn’t see the field a lot in his first season, but will be counted upon this year.
“(Kongbo) allows us to utilize last year’s first round pick, Jeremiah Ojo,” Barker told Argonauts.ca after the Kongbo signing was official. “We can now take that position and potentially make it ‘Canadian’.”
The potential now exists for an interesting rotation; Kongbo being a combination of speed and power, with Ojo being more of a pure speed rusher at this point.
It doesn’t mean the pair of Canadians has been anointed as starters. Head coach Miller says that while right now it looks like defensive end might be one of the seven starting National positions, nothing is written in Sharpie just yet.
“That’s how it looks on paper, but they’ve got to go out and win jobs,” Miller told Argonauts.ca in a conversation in his office. “That ratio might change because we’re going to play the toughest guys, we’re going to play the guys that bring the most physicality.”
Just one minute after Kongbo’s contract came back, Frith received a signed document from Priester, who will compete for a starting job at defensive halfback while bringing the ability to play a couple of other positions in the secondary.
He’ll always be remembered for his dramatic 61-yard interception return that clinched the Argos 41-24 victory over Winnipeg in the 2024 Grey Cup in Vancouver.
At about 1:30 Barker returned to “Coca-Cola” to see what his new proteges had been up to. The trio met in the boss’ office, each one showing their mentor the video of a player they found appealing, then receiving feedback on what he liked and didn’t like about the player.
Fifteen minutes later Barker was back on the phone, finding out what the asking price was for a couple of free agents who had not yet signed anywhere. The heavy lifting may have already been done, but upgrading the team’s roster is a never-ending job.
Amos’ contract came back at 2:14, bringing him home after a season in Hamilton. His addition fills a hole in a secondary that struggled to find consistency last season.
“DaShaun is a tremendous leader,” Clemons told Argonauts.ca. “He was the leader in our defensive backfield, and I don’t know if we appreciated how much he did. We are beyond excited to have him back in uniform. The nice thing is that he’s excited about it too.”
The other addition the Argos made on Tuesday was receiver Andre Miller, who had been released by Ottawa late last season.
In a pre-draft interview with Argonauts.ca, Barker said, “We could sign three guys, we could sign nobody, we could sign five; it depends on who comes to us at the right price.” The club ended up getting autographs on contracts from three players who became free agents that day, with the door being left open to add others who had not yet signed.
With players with CFL experience like Holley, Hendrix, Pickett, Kongbo, Amos, Shepley, and Peyton Logan joining the team, Miller is pretty pumped about what the personnel department has already done to improve the roster.
“We’re really excited,” said the coach. “This comes from Pinball, Jim Barker, John Hufnagel and their staff; Afram, Nate, and Marcus, then I also contribute. We call guys that we know that can give us extra reference on a player and his character, and how we think he’s going to fit in with the culture we’re trying to build. That’s another reason why we’re really excited about the players we were able to acquire; we think they’re even better people and we think they have the type of mentality we’re trying to assemble here.”