Fond farewells: one popular pending free agent every CFL team needs to walk away from

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The stage is set for the CFL offseason, with more than 250 players currently set to hit free agency on February 10.

While excessive player movement is a hot-button topic for fans, worry not. Most of these athletes will sign extensions to return to their current clubs, dwindling down the list of players on the move to a fraction of that total. However, not every departure is a bad thing, and sometimes knowing when to let go is the hardest part.

There are players in every market that fans will clamour to retain, whom teams shouldn’t covet nearly as much. Whether due to age, price, or the situation around them, it might be in everyone’s best interest to move on from these veterans. Many still have gas in the tank, but to paraphrase the legendary Wally Buono, it is better to be a year early than a year too late.

Here is one player for each team who falls into that category. Tread carefully; some of these takes are intentionally spicy and not for the faint-hearted fan.

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

B.C. Lions — DB Garry Peters (A)

Reports of Peters’ demise have been greatly exaggerated, as he still grades out in the top half of starting cornerbacks in the CFL. However, the cracks have started to show in his game, and at 34 years old, those will only grow. The two-time All-CFL selection is also coming off a nagging knee injury, which might require a procedure in the offseason and could affect his readiness for training camp. The Lions desperately need to get younger and more dynamic in the secondary, and keeping Peters would be more crutch than solution to their problems. It is time to dive into the great unknown and reshape the unit from scratch.

Further farewells: DB T.J. Lee (A), QB Jeremiah Masoli (A), DL Sione Teuhema (A)

Edmonton Elks — FB Tanner Green (N)

The Elks only have 18 pending free agents, many of whom are worth bringing back, so the opportunities for hot takes here are limited. Green is a local product and has been with the team since 2018, witnessing the entirety of their darkest chapter. He’s still decently productive in his role, but is set to turn 33 in March. With fellow pending free agent Jacob Plamondon growing into his transition to fullback, Brad Hladik finally cracking the roster, and 2025 third-round pick Skyler Griffith primed to make his debut after missing last season due to injury, keeping the veteran would only intensify a logjam at the fullback position.

Further farewells: LB Michael Brodrique (N), DB Devodric Bynum (A), OL Gregor MacKellar (N)

Calgary Stampeders — REC Malik Henry (A)

This is a chalk pick — you know it, I know it, and Henry probably knows it too. If the Stampeders had any plans to bring back the 28-year-old speedster, they would have found a way to get him onto the field last season. They didn’t, and it has officially been 891 days and counting since he last played a CFL game. It isn’t the former 1,000-yard receiver’s fault that he ruptured his Achilles and patellar tendons in consecutive years, but Calgary has difficult enough choices to make when it comes to re-signing receivers who have produced in the past three seasons. Hopefully, Henry gets a chance at a triumphant comeback elsewhere.

Further farewells: LB Adam Bighill (A), FB William Langlais (N), DL Lorenzo Mauldin IV (A)

Saskatchewan Roughriders — REC Kian Schaffer-Baker (N)

On the surface, this is a ridiculous take. Schaffer-Baker has shown the ability to be an elite Canadian receiver, and he’s still in his prime at 27 years old. Why wouldn’t you want him back? You would in a perfect world, but salary cap constraints make things inherently imperfect. If you want to keep Schaffer-Baker, that could mean losing Grey Cup MVC Sam Emilus, not to mention the need to pay Americans like KeeSean Johnson and Dohnte Meyers. Given the Guelph product’s extensive injury history and the Riders’ unbelievable National receiving depth with players like Ajou Ajou, Dhel Duncan-Busby, and Tommy Nield, he’s a sacrifice you can survive.

Further farewells: LB C.J. Avery (A), REC Shawn Bane Jr. (A), RB Ka’Deem Carey (A)

Winnipeg Blue Bombers — LB Kyrie Wilson (A)

Winnipeg has more than its fair share of ailing veterans in the twilight of their careers, but you could justify bringing someone like Willie Jefferson back for another ride on a team-friendly contract. I’m not sure the same can be said for Wilson, who just turned 33 and has never entered the elite tier of linebackers. He remains serviceable, but there will be upgrades available on the open market and youngsters internally who deserve longer looks, like Jaiden Woodbey and Connor Shay. The trust that Mike O’Shea and Jordan Younger place in Wilson has kept him safe until now, but it’s time for a change.

Further farewells: LB Shayne Gauthier (N), QB Chris Streveler (A), DL Jake Thomas (N)

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

Hamilton Tiger-Cats — REC Tim White (A)

After recording a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, White’s consistency should be the envy of everyone in the league. I’m just not sure it is worth the dollar figure he currently commands, and history suggests that knocking down his price tag without a trip to the open market is unlikely. The 31-year-old was the fifth-highest-paid receiver in the CFL last year, but the third-best pass catcher on his own team and is still liable to drop as many touchdowns as he scores. The Ticats no longer need to overpay for his production and should consider cheaper alternatives.

Further farewells: QB Jake Dolegala (A), OL Jordan Murray (A), RET/DB Lawrence Woods II (A)

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

Toronto Argonauts — LB Wynton McManis (A)

This might be my hottest take of all. McManis will still be only 31 years old entering next season and has been the CFL’s highest-paid linebacker for a reason — he’s damn good. With that said, the two-time All-CFL selection has been banged up for stretches of the past two seasons, with the effectiveness of Toronto’s defence often hanging on his health. With all the work this team has to do to return to relevance next season, it’s not worth paying through the nose for uncertainty at a position where finding talent is rarely an issue. Isaac Darkangelo looks like a budding star at 25, so give him an appropriate pay raise and use the rest of your McManis savings to fix the offensive line.

Further farewells: REC DaVaris Daniels (A), OL Dylan Giffen (N), DL Thiadric Hansen (G)

Photo courtesy: Ottawa Redblacks

Ottawa Redblacks — REC Bralon Addison (A)

Addison played reasonably well last season, putting up 825 yards, but the fact that he was a key offensive piece for a team in the year 2025 is simply unbelievable. The 32-year-old is no longer the explosive weapon he was as a youngster, before all the major injuries, and his reliability in the short screen game does not excite me. At a certain point, trust in veterans can degrade your ability to develop future talent, and that was the case for Ottawa’s receiving corps last year. They can’t let it happen again under new leadership.

Further farewells: RET DeVonte Dedmon (A), P Richie Leone (A), DL Nigel Romick (N)

Montreal Alouettes — DB Marc-Antoine Dequoy (N)

Hold up, let me explain this one before the entire province of Quebec starts burning me in effigy. Dequoy is unquestionably a valuable leader for this Alouettes team and a vocal mouthpiece for the Francophone cohort, but he’s also really expensive coming off the third-largest contract of any defensive back in the CFL. He hasn’t been worth that price on the field, as I don’t think the 31-year-old was even in the top half of safeties in the league last season. Maybe Dequoy’s side gig of appearing on every Quebecois reality show in the offseason makes him amenable to a pay cut, but Montreal has a good backup in Arthur Hamlin and promising second-rounder Nate Beauchemin behind him. They don’t need to beg to keep their homegrown veteran.

Further farewells: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (A), DL Shawn Lemon (A), RET James Letcher Jr. (A)

Fond farewells: one popular pending free agent every CFL team needs to walk away from

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