{"id":428541,"date":"2026-01-23T18:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/428541\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:17:07","slug":"5-top-pending-free-agents-who-could-be-available","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/428541\/","title":{"rendered":"5 top pending free agents who could be available"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 With just under three weeks until the opening of free agency, there are plenty of big names that still hold expiring contracts.<\/p>\n

While some stars have signed extensions with their current teams, like Brady Oliveira<\/a> in Winnipeg<\/a> and Samuel Emilus<\/a> in Saskatchewan<\/a>, there are quite a few that have yet to do so.<\/p>\n

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Just over half of\u00a0CFL.ca\u2019s top 30 pending free agents<\/a> have inked new contracts, so who\u2019s still holding expiring ones?<\/p>\n

Here are five players from the top 30 list that have the potential to hit free agency on February 10.<\/p>\n

WYNTON MCMANIS | LINEBACKER | NO. 15 ON TOP 30<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wynton McManis<\/a> hasn\u2019t signed a new deal with the Double Blue just yet, so will he hit the open market in a few weeks?<\/p>\n

McManis had to deal with injuries in 2025, but he\u2019s still one of the best in the business at patrolling the middle of a defence. Despite only appearing in 13 games, McManis earned 62 defensive tackles, four sacks, two picks and a forced fumble for Toronto last season.<\/p>\n

JAMES BUTLER | RUNNING BACK | NO. 20 ON TOP 30<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

James Butler<\/a> returned to BC in 2025, his second stint with the Leos, signing as a free agent last January. Will he decide to leave the Lions again and join a new team in 2026?<\/p>\n

Butler carried the rock 229 times for 1,213 yards, good for third in the CFL, while also adding 11 rushing touchdowns, tying for the league lead. He also chipped in as a receiver (46 catches for 439 yards), showing off his versatility out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

JUSTIN HARDY | RECEIVER | NO. 25 ON TOP 30<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just call him Mr. 1,000, as Justin Hardy<\/a> tallied his third-straight 1,000-yard campaign in 2025. He\u2019s still without a new contract from Ottawa, so will he decide to see what else is out there on February 10?<\/p>\n

Hardy\u2019s 78 receptions for 1,019 yards and eight touchdowns, ranked among the top receivers in the East and will be a welcome addition to any team looking for a quiet, reliable leader, if he hits the open market.<\/p>\n

TIM WHITE | RECEIVER | NO. 27 ON TOP 30<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will Tim White remain in Black and Gold or will he decide to take his abilities elsewhere?<\/p>\n

Only time will tell, but the receiver had yet another 1,000-yard season in 2025, his fourth-straight. White finished 2025 with 84 catches for 1,016 yards and seven touchdowns, and would add plenty of talent to any team looking for an impact pass-catcher, if he decides to move on from Hamilton.<\/p>\n

DERRICK MONCRIEF | DEFENSIVE BACK\/LINEBACKER | NO. 29 ON TOP 30<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Calgary Stampeders improved in plenty of ways in 2025, and their defence was no exception. Derrick Moncrief<\/a> was a major factor in the defensive overhaul and is currently holding an expiring contract.<\/p>\n

The SAM linebacker appeared in all 18 games for the Stamps, registering 67 defensive tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble and a defensive score. Will he remain in red and white, or opt to testing the market to see what else is out there on February 10?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 With just under three weeks until the opening of free agency, there are plenty of big…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-428541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}