{"id":470604,"date":"2026-02-12T17:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/470604\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:30:11","slug":"hogan-inside-the-argos-war-room-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/470604\/","title":{"rendered":"Hogan: Inside the Argos War Room 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once again, the Argonauts permitted Argonaut.ca\u2019s Mike Hogan to go behind the scenes for a story on the team\u2019s free agency period.<\/p>\n

There\u00a0were\u00a0just 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.<\/p>\n

In the CFL\u2019s annual fishing expedition, also known as free agency, the Toronto Argonauts landed\u00a0four\u00a0whoppers before the tournament\u00a0had officially opened.<\/p>\n

With the signings of\u00a0defensive tackle Ralph Holley\u00a0in November,\u00a0along with\u00a0strongside linebacker\u00a0Adarius Pickett,\u00a0defensive tackle Dewayne Hendrix,\u00a0and offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley\u00a0in January \u2013 all\u00a0of whom were already free agents\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the team\u00a0thought it may have made its biggest off-season additions\u00a0even\u00a0before other players would be made available.<\/p>\n

It would make the free-agency period less eventful, and certainly less stressful knowing four\u00a0big fish\u00a0were already in the creel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Those four signings\u00a0certainly helped address those needs.<\/p>\n

A quick refresher course on\u00a0the\u00a0choreography of CFL free\u00a0agency;\u00a0at noon on February 1, an eight-day window opened for teams to talk to any player still under contract with another team, but\u00a0not\u00a0eligible to officially become a free agent\u00a0at noon on February 10.<\/p>\n

A deal could be agreed to but not made official until the 10th.<\/p>\n

Argonauts.ca spoke with director of player personnel Jim Barker\u00a0on Saturday, January 31,\u00a0roughly\u00a024\u00a0hours prior to the window opening,\u00a0Barker was asked\u00a0if there were any players\u00a0the Argos\u00a0were\u00a0hoping would not be\u00a0re-signed\u00a0by their team\u00a0between the time of the conversation and noon Sunday.<\/p>\n

He explained that the Argos had\u00a0identified\u00a0five\u00a0players as\u00a0their\u00a0main\u00a0targets:\u00a0two\u00a0that\u00a0they\u00a0eventually\u00a0did not sign,\u00a0along with\u00a0DaShaun\u00a0Amos, Robert Priester,\u00a0and Edmonton defensive end\u00a0Jonathan Kongbo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Admittedly,\u00a0Kongbo\u2019s name\u00a0was\u00a0more than\u00a0a bit of a surprise; not because\u00a0he\u00a0was mentioned, but\u00a0because\u00a0his\u00a0name\u00a0was\u00a0the first\u00a0one\u00a0brought up\u00a0by the veteran CFL executive.<\/p>\n

Signing the\u00a029-year-old\u00a0was the team\u2019s main goal\u00a0as they recognized the need to improve the pass rush.<\/p>\n

The club\u00a0was\u00a0also\u00a0still in negotiations with some of the\u00a0players from the\u00a0current roster, including return specialist\u00a0Janarion\u00a0Grant. While many believed the addition of Peyton Logan meant the club was ready to move ahead without\u00a0the 2024 CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, that was not the case.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On Sunday February 1, the Argos personnel department gathered in the offensive coaches\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

As noon struck and teams were able to reach out to\u00a0potential free agents, the first call was made by Miller, who\u00a0reached out\u00a0Kongbo\u00a0to\u00a0express\u00a0how interested the team was in\u00a0signing\u00a0him. The next call was made by Clemons, also to Kongbo, while the third call was made by Barker, who spoke with the player\u2019s agent\u00a0to\u00a0talk\u00a0terms.<\/p>\n

The Argos were leaving little doubt that they\u00a0saw something in the Democratic Republic of Congo-born, Surrey, B.C.-raised defensive lineman that\u00a0has only been seen in\u00a0flashes since he arrived in the CFL.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0the club contacted Kongbo, the next calls\u00a0were\u00a0made to Priester and his agent.<\/p>\n

Agreements in principle\u00a0with each player\u00a0were\u00a0completed\u00a0before 2:30. Priester\u00a0\u2013\u00a0one of the heroes of the 2024 Grey Cup and\u00a0two-time\u00a0Cup winner in Toronto\u00a0\u2013 agreed to terms, as did Kongbo.\u00a0It meant\u00a0the Argos already had\u00a0landed\u00a0their main target, as well as one\u00a0other\u00a0player from\u00a0their\u00a0wish list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After\u00a0what had been a\u00a0rather\u00a0predictable\u00a0couple of hours, something\u00a0unexpected happened\u00a0early in the afternoon as the Argos\u00a0were\u00a0approached\u00a0about\u00a0trading one of their current\u00a0roster\u00a0players.\u00a0After\u00a0giving serious weight to the inquiry,\u00a0the offer was\u00a0deemed\u00a0to be too low\u00a0to\u00a0trade\u00a0a player that they valued.<\/p>\n

At\u00a04:30 Argonauts.ca was informed that Amos has agreed to terms, meaning that\u00a0the\u00a0fan\u00a0favourite\u00a0was returning home\u00a0after a season in Hamilton. The negotiations in that situation\u00a0were carried out\u00a0exclusively with\u00a0Amos\u2019 agent. Clemons would reach out to the defensive back after the deal was\u00a0finalized.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0the\u00a0end\u00a0of\u00a0the day,\u00a0the team had come to terms with three of their five\u00a0main\u00a0targets, including the player they\u00a0ranked\u00a0as\u00a0their primary\u00a0big fish, Kongbo.<\/p>\n

The next few days were\u00a0a lot quieter. Word trickled down that receiver Dejon Brissett\u00a0had signed in Calgary, while\u00a0Brian\u00a0Harelimana\u00a0and\u00a0Thiadric\u00a0Hansen had\u00a0re-signed\u00a0with the Argos\u00a0before they were able to become free agents.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday the club made an announcement that was not easy.\u00a0After\u00a0a lengthy negotiation\u00a0and after\u00a0the Argos\u00a0had\u00a0made\u00a0him\u00a0a lucrative offer, linebacker Wynton McManis was granted his release, allowing him to\u00a0sign\u00a0with another club before officially becoming a free agent.<\/p>\n

It was a decision that was not an easy one for\u00a0either the\u00a0team\u00a0or\u00a0the\u00a0player.\u00a0McManis and his family are settled in\u00a0the\u00a0Toronto\u00a0area, while the Argos know what kind of ability and leadership #48\u00a0provided.<\/p>\n

While that\u00a0development\u00a0was tough, the\u00a0Argos headed into the weekend on a high.\u00a0Grant re-signed, joining another handful of American players\u00a0new to the CFL\u00a0that were\u00a0signed\u00a0during the week.<\/p>\n

The negotiation window for potential free agents\u00a0closed\u00a0on Sunday\u00a0with the Argos having\u00a0made just three offers:\u00a0to\u00a0Kongbo, Amos, and Priester.<\/p>\n

As draft day hit, the most eventful part of the morning was the weather. The GTA was blanketed with snow making everyone\u2019s commute to the office a little slower than usual.<\/p>\n

The first to arrive at the football operations office\u00a0at the Coca-Cola Coliseum\u00a0\u2013\u00a0located\u00a0a couple of\u00a0John Haggerty punts east of BMO Field\u00a0\u2013\u00a0were the newcomers to the department,\u00a0Jolak\u00a0and Bickford. Barker would stroll in shortly afterward.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, director of\u00a0football operations Melissa Frith set up\u00a0at the stadium,\u00a0where she would send out and receive any contract offers.<\/p>\n

The first news of the day came at 9:45, when\u00a0an American prospect\u00a0agreed to terms\u00a0with the team, though at the time of this article, the contract had yet to be signed.<\/p>\n

At 10:53 Barker spoke with\u00a0Miller, double-checking\u00a0his\u00a0interest in a pair of potential free agents that had not\u00a0re-signed\u00a0with their team,\u00a0or\u00a0reportedly\u00a0agreed\u00a0to terms\u00a0with another.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Arnprior, Ontario\u00a0native was pumped\u00a0when he heard the news\u00a0and\u00a0fist\u00a0bumped\u00a0Jolak, while Barker beamed like a proud father, watching the next generation of\u00a0scouts get\u00a0their\u00a0feet wet.<\/p>\n

Free agency officially opened at high noon.\u00a0It\u00a0was extremely quiet in the football operations building\u00a0as only\u00a0Jolak\u00a0and Bickford\u00a0remained,\u00a0each\u00a0poring over video of American prospects.\u00a0Barker moved to\u00a0BMO Field\u00a0to join Clemons, Miller, Frith, and\u00a0vice-president of\u00a0business operations\u00a0Chris Shewfelt, who\u00a0had\u00a0gathered in the offensive coaches\u2019\u00a0office.<\/p>\n

Frith sent\u00a0contract offers at\u00a012:04\u00a0to Kongbo, Amos, and Priester.<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s\u00a0main target was the first to return a signed contract, just nine minutes after it was sent.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0The Argos are now his fifth CFL team, while he also spent two seasons in the NFL.<\/p>\n

Last year\u00a0with Edmonton,\u00a0the 6\u20194\u201d, 260-pound defensive end\u00a0showed signs\u00a0that\u00a0he 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.<\/p>\n

How much did the Argos rely on Maxie\u2019s assessment when making Kongbo their priority free agent?<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 135\u00a0percent,\u201d Barker told Argonauts.ca after the signing was official. \u201cOnce we watched\u00a0him,\u00a0we saw the difference in him\u00a0playing for\u00a0Demetrious.\u00a0Demetrious Maxie thinks that guy is one of the best in the league.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0long, he plays to the whistle,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0relentless, and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what you see on film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The addition of Kongbo is potentially great news for another Argo\u00a0that\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0see the field a lot in his first\u00a0season, but\u00a0will be counted upon this year.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Kongbo)\u00a0allows us to utilize last year\u2019s first round pick, Jeremiah Ojo,\u201d Barker told Argonauts.ca after the\u00a0Kongbo\u00a0signing was official. \u201cWe can now take that position and potentially make it\u00a0\u2018Canadian\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The potential now exists for an interesting rotation; Kongbo being a combination of speed and power,\u00a0with\u00a0Ojo\u00a0being more of a pure speed rusher at this point.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0mean\u00a0the pair of Canadians has been\u00a0anointed as starters.\u00a0Head coach Miller\u00a0says that while\u00a0right now it looks like defensive end might be one of the seven starting National\u00a0positions,\u00a0nothing is written\u00a0in Sharpie just yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how it looks on paper, but they\u2019ve got\u00a0to go out and win jobs,\u201d Miller told Argonauts.ca in a conversation in his office. \u201cThat ratio might change because we\u2019re going to play the toughest guys, we\u2019re going to play the guys that bring the most physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just one minute after Kongbo\u2019s contract came back,\u00a0Frith received a signed document from Priester, who will compete for a starting job at defensive halfback while\u00a0bringing the ability to play a couple of other positions in the secondary.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll\u00a0always be remembered for his dramatic\u00a061-yard interception return that clinched the Argos 41-24 victory over Winnipeg in the\u00a02024 Grey Cup in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

At about 1:30\u00a0Barker returned to \u201cCoca-Cola\u201d to see what his\u00a0new proteges had been up to. The\u00a0trio\u00a0met in\u00a0the boss\u2019\u00a0office, each one showing\u00a0their mentor\u00a0the\u00a0video of\u00a0a player they found appealing, then receiving\u00a0feedback on what\u00a0he\u00a0liked and\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0like\u00a0about\u00a0the\u00a0player.<\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later\u00a0Barker was back on the phone, finding out what the asking price was for a couple of free agents\u00a0who had not yet signed\u00a0anywhere. The heavy lifting may have already been done, but\u00a0upgrading the\u00a0team\u2019s\u00a0roster is a never-ending job.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Amos\u2019 contract came back at 2:14, bringing him home after a season in Hamilton. His\u00a0addition fills a hole in a secondary that\u00a0struggled to find consistency last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaShaun\u00a0is a tremendous leader,\u201d Clemons told Argonauts.ca. \u201cHe was the leader in our defensive\u00a0backfield,\u00a0and I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know if we appreciated how much he did.\u00a0We are beyond excited to have him back in uniform. The\u00a0nice thing\u00a0is that\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0excited about it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The other addition the Argos\u00a0made on Tuesday was receiver Andre\u00a0Miller, who had been released by Ottawa late last season.<\/p>\n

In a pre-draft interview with Argonauts.ca, Barker said, \u201cWe could sign three guys, we could\u00a0sign nobody, we could sign five; it depends on who comes to us at the right price.\u201d The club ended up\u00a0getting autographs on contracts from\u00a0three players who became free agents that day, with the door being left open to add\u00a0others who had not yet signed.<\/p>\n

With players\u00a0with CFL experience\u00a0like Holley, Hendrix,\u00a0Pickett,\u00a0Kongbo,\u00a0Amos, Shepley,\u00a0and Peyton Logan joining the team,\u00a0Miller is\u00a0pretty pumped\u00a0about what the personnel department has already done to improve the\u00a0roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really excited,\u201d said the coach. \u201cThis comes from Pinball,\u00a0Jim\u00a0Barker,\u00a0John\u00a0Hufnagel\u00a0and\u00a0their\u00a0staff;\u00a0Afram, Nate, and Marcus, then I\u00a0also\u00a0contribute.\u00a0We call\u00a0guys that we\u00a0know\u00a0that\u00a0can give us extra reference on a player and his character,\u00a0and how we think\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0going to fit in with the culture\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0trying to build.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0another\u00a0reason why\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0really excited\u00a0about the players we were able to\u00a0acquire; we think\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0even better people and\u00a0we think they have the type of mentality\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0trying to assemble here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once again, the Argonauts permitted Argonaut.ca\u2019s Mike Hogan to go behind the scenes for a story on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-470604","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\/470604","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=470604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}