{"id":441273,"date":"2026-01-29T17:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/441273\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T17:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:32:09","slug":"where-every-cfl-team-stands-ahead-of-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/441273\/","title":{"rendered":"Where every CFL team stands ahead of Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

The clock is ticking, friends.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re now less than two weeks from CFL Free Agency opening on February 10. And the Free Agency Communication Window opens on Sunday, February 1, which means we\u2019ll start hearing news trickling out in the next few days.<\/p>\n

So, with signing season inching closer, and with the final stretch of retaining players underway, here\u2019s a look at where all nine teams stand (as of Thursday, January 29).<\/p>\n

\"20262026 CFL FREE AGENCY
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\u00a0<\/p>\n

BC LIONS<\/p>\n

BC\u2019s biggest off-season move doesn\u2019t even impact a pending free agent, but we\u2019d be remiss not mentioning quarterback Nathan Rourke<\/a>\u2019s extension that keeps him in the fold through 2028<\/a>. Having the reigning Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian locked up for the next three seasons is nothing but a good thing.<\/p>\n

But the Lions have been busy with their pending free agents, too. General manager Ryan Rigmaiden started his off-season work by extending superstar receiver Keon Hatcher in early December and that\u2019s continued by re-signing the likes of Ben Hladik<\/a>, Garry Peters<\/a>, Sione Teuhema<\/a>, and Sean Whyte<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

BC also moved quickly by signing linebacker Darnell Sankey shortly after he was released by the Montreal Alouettes<\/a>. As a result, the Lions released Micah Awe<\/a> earlier this month, making him immediately eligible to sign with another team.<\/p>\n

But BC still has decisions to make. Star offensive linemen Jarell Broxton<\/a> and Dejon Allen<\/a>, the team\u2019s starting left and right tackles last season, remain unsigned. Knowing the Lions led the CFL by allowing just 20 sacks last season, the fates of Allen and Broxton will be interesting to watch as free agency approaches.<\/p>\n

CALGARY STAMPEDERS<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a busy winter in Calgary so far.<\/p>\n

The Stamps have said goodbye to three key players from last season as defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings, linebacker Jacob Roberts<\/a>, and receiver Damien Alford have all signed deals in the NFL. And while all three could very well be back later in 2026, it leaves Calgary with some needs entering free agency.<\/p>\n

But head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson has still gotten his fair share of business done. Reigning rushing champion Dedrick Mills<\/a> signed a two-year extension in December<\/a> before defensive end Clarence Hicks<\/a> reupped for three years earlier this month<\/a>. Other key extensions include Derrick Moncrief<\/a>, Marquel Lee<\/a>, and Clarke Barnes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be interesting to see if Dickenson has a big receiver splash in him once free agency opens. It feels likely that Dominique Rhymes<\/a> and Malik Henry<\/a> won\u2019t be back in Calgary, as both remain without a new contract late into January.<\/p>\n

EDMONTON ELKS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Elks didn\u2019t have a big number of pending free agents to begin with, but general manager Ed Hervey has scratched off a good chunk of the important ones already.<\/p>\n

First up on that list is quarterback Cody Fajardo<\/a>, who signed an extension back in early December after<\/a> a great first campaign with Edmonton. Already penned in as the starter for 2026, Fajardo\u2019s consistency and leadership to begin the season could be key for an Elks team that hasn\u2019t made the playoffs since 2019.<\/p>\n

Edmonton has also signed extensions with defensive ends Brandon Barlow<\/a> and Noah Taylor this winter. The former was one of the league\u2019s most effective edge rushers in 2025 as tracked by Pro Football Focus, while the latter led Edmonton with four sacks.<\/p>\n

Leading the list of players without a new contract is Jake Ceresna<\/a>, who remains one of the CFL\u2019s most effective and versatile interior defensive linemen. Receivers Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Steven Dunbar Jr. also don\u2019t have contracts with free agency around the corner.<\/p>\n

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n

The Ticats were another team with a quarterback situation to figure out as their first order of business. They did that early when two-time defending East Division Most Outstanding Player Bo Levi Mitchell signed a two-year extension in mid-December<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And with both Kenny Lawler<\/a> and Kiondr\u00e9 Smith, last year\u2019s two leading receivers, already under contract, Mitchell has his two favourite targets already in the fold. Notably, however, Hamilton opted to release pending free agent Tim White<\/a> after five seasons in black and yellow, including the last four straight over 1,000 yards. More on him later.<\/p>\n

Overall, Hamilton has gotten plenty done this off-season. Core defensive pieces Jamal Peters<\/a>, Julian Howsare<\/a>, and Stavros Katsantonis<\/a> have all signed extensions. On the other side of the ball, star offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg<\/a> is back for a 10th season with the Tiger-Cats.<\/a><\/p>\n

MONTREAL ALOUETTES<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a pragmatic winter for the Als. We already mentioned the release of Sankey after he led the team in defensive tackles with 101 last season. More recently, Montreal released receiver Austin Mack<\/a> after parts of three seasons with the team.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean general manager Danny Maciocia hasn\u2019t gotten plenty of internal business done. In fact, the Alouettes made some of the earliest off-season news when they signed offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage<\/a> to a three-year extension on December 1<\/a> followed by a two-year extension for receiver<\/a> Tyson Philpot<\/a> one day later.<\/p>\n

Montreal still has a few interesting decisions to make, though. Long time safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy<\/a> remains without a new contract in late January, as does reliable receiver Charleston Rambo. Also notable is tailback Sean Thomas Erlington, who was quietly very effective in 11 appearances last year.<\/p>\n

OTTAWA REDBLACKS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A lot of Ottawa\u2019s big decisions on pending free agents have been made, including the release of SAM linebacker Adarius Pickett<\/a> earlier this month. Now signed with the Argos<\/a>, Pickett leaves a defensive gap for the REDBLACKS.<\/p>\n

That said, new head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie has been busy on the extension side of things. On defence, defensive tackle Michael Wakefield<\/a> and defensive back Bennett Williams are both back for another year.<\/p>\n

And then on the other side of the ball, the return of receiver<\/a> Justin Hardy<\/a> is huge after he just completed his third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign. Coupled with fellow receiver Eugene Lewis<\/a> extending through 2027 (he was due for free agency next winter), quarterback Dru Brown<\/a> is in good shape.<\/p>\n

The most notable name of those still without a new contract has to be linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox. Still one of the league\u2019s most effective linebackers, Santos-Knox recorded 80 defensive tackles and one interception with the REDBLACKS in 2025.<\/p>\n

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n

The defending champs haven\u2019t been messing around since their triumph in the 112th Grey Cup. And when you\u2019re a team as well situated for sustained success as the Riders are, you can\u2019t blame them for wanting to run it back. And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve seen since early December.<\/p>\n

Saskatchewan\u2019s first big question was answered early in the off-season when quarterback and Grey Cup MVP Trevor Harris opted to sign back for another season<\/a>. While retirement felt very much on the table, Harris made his decision to return quickly and that set the tone for the rest of the winter.<\/p>\n

Since then, we\u2019ve seen a steady stream of key pending free agents sign back in Regina. Included in that list is reigning Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Jermarcus Hardrick<\/a> and standout cornerback Tevaughn Campbell.<\/a><\/p>\n

But with success comes change, and that\u2019s no different for the Roughriders. Most recently, Saskatchewan opted to release receiver Shawn Bane Jr.<\/a> while Dohnte Meyers was released to pursue NFL opportunities earlier this month.<\/a><\/p>\n

And there are still a few huge decisions to be made. Of Saskatchewan\u2019s remaining list of players without new contracts, two sit on top. The first is Malik Carney<\/a>, who was PFF\u2019s second most effective defensive end last season. And then there\u2019s bruising tailback A.J. Ouellette<\/a>, who\u2019s coming off a career season with 1,222 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns.<\/p>\n

TORONTO ARGONAUTS<\/p>\n

The Argos were in a pretty good spot entering the off-season. A good number of their most important players are already under contract for 2026, which includes quarterbacks Chad Kelly<\/a> and Nick Arbuckle<\/a>, to go along with the likes of Damonte Coxie<\/a>, Cameron Judge<\/a>, Peter Nicastro<\/a>, and Tarvarus McFadden.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean we haven\u2019t seen a couple key extensions on Toronto\u2019s relatively small list of pending free agents. Defensive back Benjie Franklin<\/a> is back for a fourth season in Double Blue, while linebacker Isaac Darkangelo<\/a> is returning for a third.<\/p>\n

But that does leave a few key decisions for general manager Michael Clemons. Dejon Brissett, who led the Argos with 907 receiving yards last season, remains holding an expiring contract as does fellow receiver DaVaris Daniels.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s linebacker Wynton McManis<\/a>, who impacts pretty much everything Toronto does on the defensive side of the ball. Last year saw McManis rack up 62 defensive tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in just 13 appearances. It\u2019ll be a big hole to fill if McManis isn\u2019t back for a fifth season in Toronto.<\/p>\n

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

On top of signing a ton of extensions already, the Bombers have made a big splash ahead of free agency too. Winnipeg didn\u2019t hesitate to act on the previously mentioned White after he was released by the Tiger-Cats. Signed to a one-year deal this week<\/a>, White is a huge addition at receiver to compliment Nic Demski<\/a> who signed back for two years in December.<\/a><\/p>\n

And despite not making the Grey Cup for the first time in six years, the Blue Bombers have been busy on the extension front. That started with new deals for head coach Mike O\u2019Shea and general manager Kyle Walters<\/a> and extends onto the field.<\/p>\n

On top of Demski, Winnipeg is bringing back a who\u2019s who of household names including running back Brady Oliveira<\/a>, offensive lineman Stanley Bryant<\/a>, defensive end Willie Jefferson<\/a>, and defensive backs Deatrick Nichols<\/a> and Evan Holm. The Bombers have belief in the core they\u2019ve built, and understandably so.<\/p>\n

The biggest change of note is the retirement of defensive lineman Jake Thomas, as he joins Winnipeg\u2019s coaching staff for the same position.<\/a> And among the team\u2019s notable pending free agents are receivers Dalton Schoen<\/a> and Keric Wheatfall<\/a>, the latter of whom finished second on the team last season with 655 yards and four touchdowns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The clock is ticking, friends. We\u2019re now less than two weeks from CFL Free Agency opening on February…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-441273","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\/441273","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=441273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}