{"id":461153,"date":"2026-02-08T05:40:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T05:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/461153\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T05:40:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T05:40:24","slug":"mmqb-3-free-agency-communication-window-observations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/461153\/","title":{"rendered":"MMQB: 3 free agency communication window observations"},"content":{"rendered":"

A busy off-season has moved to the next phase.<\/p>\n

With the CFL\u2019s Free Agency Communication Window open as of Sunday, we\u2019re into an interesting final stretch before 2026 CFL Free Agency gets going next week. Teams have been maneuvering and preparing for this month since early December, and a number of things have become apparent.<\/p>\n

For this week\u2019s Monday Morning Quarterback, we\u2019ve got three observations as the off-season news cycle takes another step forward.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 CFL FREE AGENCY
\u00bb\u00a0CFL.ca\u2019s top 30 pending free agents<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Where every CFL team stands ahead of Free Agency<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Free Agency Communication Window opens February 1<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0More 2026 Free Agency news and analysis<\/a>
\u00bb What you missed from the first day of the Free Agency Communication Window<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNIPEG\u2019S WINDOW REMAINS OPEN<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

After falling short of a Grey Cup appearance for the first time in six seasons, some wondered if 2026 might serve as a reset in Winnipeg. But the Blue Bombers have put any of that uncertainty to bed with how they\u2019ve approached the last few months. It started by signing head coach Mike O\u2019Shea and general manager Kyle Walters to extensions<\/a> in late November and has only continued with personnel decisions.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg has extended a who\u2019s who of pending free agents headlined by the likes of receiver <\/a>Nic Demski<\/a>, offensive lineman <\/a>Stanley Bryant<\/a>, defensive end <\/a>Willie Jefferson<\/a>, tailback <\/a>Brady Oliveira<\/a>, and defensive back Evan Holm<\/a>. And that\u2019s to say nothing of their external work, which has been rather prolific.<\/p>\n

The Bombers made their first splash by signing perennial 1,000-yard receiver <\/a>Tim White<\/a> to a one-year deal<\/a> days after being released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And since the communication window has opened, it has been reported that offensive lineman Jarell Broxton<\/a> and defensive tackle Jake Ceresna<\/a> will be added to that conversation.<\/p>\n

Broxton is especially notable, as he was ranked the CFL\u2019s top left tackle by Pro Football Focus last season and apparently\u00a0joins future Hall of Famer Bryant and three-time All-CFL guard Patrick Neufeld on a star-studded offensive line. After allowing 37 sacks last season, a higher number than we\u2019re used to, upgrading up front was clearly a target for Winnipeg.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s hard to blame the Bombers for how they\u2019re thinking. The passion for football in Winnipeg is higher than it\u2019s ever been, with 14 straight sellouts and counting entering 2026. With the culture O\u2019Shea has built, star players want to play for the Bombers. Why not take a few more shots at maximizing this core while they still can?<\/p>\n

THE TITLE TAX<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every team has tough decisions to make in a league governed by a salary cap. But, as Winnipeg can attest to since 2019, winning titles and sustaining high-level success makes pragmatism that much more important with a \u201cchampionship tax\u201d making business slightly more expensive. We\u2019re now seeing that with the defending Grey Cup champion Roughriders and runner-up Alouettes.<\/p>\n

Saskatchewan has reupped with plenty of core pieces from last year\u2019s Grey Cup winner, from quarterback Trevor Harris<\/a> to offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick<\/a>, defensive back Tevaughn Campbell<\/a>, receiver KeeSean Johnson<\/a>, and most recently running back AJ Ouellette<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the Riders have opted to say goodbye to significant pieces, too. Star defensive end Malik Carney<\/a>, last year\u2019s top edge rusher per PFF, has reportedly signed a two-year deal in Edmonton<\/a>. Other recent reported departures include receiver Tommy Nield<\/a> (Winnipeg) and linebacker A.J. Allen<\/a> (Ottawa), the latter of whom led Saskatchewan with 87 defensive tackles last season.<\/p>\n

And while Montreal didn\u2019t win it all last year, we\u2019re still talking about a great run of success. The Als have appeared in two of the last three Grey Cups (including a 2023 triumph), which sandwiches a year where they finished first overall during the regular season. Montreal\u2019s biggest sacrifices this winter have come in the form of a pair of releases: linebacker Darnell Sankey (now in BC<\/a>) and receiver Austin Mack (Edmonton<\/a>).<\/p>\n

FIVE IS ENOUGH<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

To see the Edmonton Elks, with one of the league\u2019s longest traditions of excellence, sitting on five straight years of non-playoff football doesn\u2019t feel right. And that fact clearly isn\u2019t sitting well in the Alberta capital, as the Elks have been one of the league\u2019s most active teams this winter. It\u2019s clear general manager Ed Hervey and head coach Mark Kilam are ready to add to the foundation they built in their first years in Green and Gold.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already mentioned the huge additions of Carney and Mack, with the latter reuniting with quarterback Cody Fajardo. That duo combined for 1,154 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and adds another weapon to an offence that also includes fellow receiver Kaion Julien-Grant<\/a> and running back Justin Rankin.<\/p>\n

Edmonton had a good number of key players already under contract for 2026, including Rankin, Nick Anderson<\/a>, and Tyrell Ford. That left less on Hervey\u2019s plate on the extension front, with Fajardo and standout defensive end Brandon Barlow<\/a> being the most notable. The Elks look committed to getting back to the playoffs and it\u2019s hard not to like what they\u2019ve done so far this winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A busy off-season has moved to the next phase. With the CFL\u2019s Free Agency Communication Window open as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-461153","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\/461153","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=461153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}