So, how was your weekend?
In all likelihood it wasn’t as good as that of the Toronto Argonauts. The team re-signed a half-dozen starters from its 2022 Grey Cup championship team.
A pair of CFL All-Stars, receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and linebacker Wynton McManis, will be back in Double Blue, as will receiver DaVaris Daniels, kicker Boris Bede, safety Royce Metchie and defensive back DaShaun Amos.
It means that of the 26 players on their roster who could have become free agents on February 14, the Argos have re-signed 12 of them.
That makes Assistant General Manager Vince Magri a happy man.
“It was busy, but it was a productive weekend,” Magri told Argonauts.ca. “We were able to lock up some of our core players that helped us get to where we wanted to get last year. We wanted to keep them in the building and build around them and continue our success.”
It was an interesting week for Magri and Director of Football Operations and National Scout Alex Russell, who were in Mobile, Alabama evaluating players at the Senior Bowl, the top NCAA all-star game.
“One day we didn’t get to watch much of practice because the phone was ringing off the hook,” Magri said with a chuckle. “We came to terms on five of the extensions that day.”
Few negotiations are easy, but with the players who inked deals in the last few days it was easier because the Argos wanted those athletes here, while the players wanted to come back; it was just a case of the two sides finding a financial compensation package that made everyone happy.
“I think it was mutual with everybody,” Magri explained. “You always want to bring everyone back when you have the season that you did. It does get difficult after you win, as players want to maximize their value during their playing window because it is finite. You definitely respect that and respect the agents that have a job to do. You hope that you can come to an agreement that works for both parties.”
Magri is hopeful that they’re able to add some additional players to the re-signed list over the next few days, admitting they’re in talks with “A handful more.”
The weekend’s bounty of potential free agents was also great news for fans, who were worried about potential defections by some of the team’s biggest stars and most popular players.
Perhaps the name at the top of everyone’s list was that of Gittens Jr.
The Laurier product’s three-year deal was the first one of the weekend, announced Friday afternoon. The man who last year finished sixth in the league with 1,101 receiving yards says he let his agent, Rob Fry, do all the heavy lifting, but he’s thrilled with the result and that he’s staying in the GTA.
“It was pretty big to me,” he told Argonauts.ca. “I got drafted by Toronto and the fact that they’re still invested in me means a lot. I started a family with my girlfriend, so being able to be a part of Toronto means everything to me because family is everything.”
He talked about the consistency of his game and his hard work as being the main reasons his performance improved last year; that is until the Grey Cup game.
The all-star had no catches in the win over Winnipeg, but for good reason. Unreported until now, Gittens was seriously ill during the latter part of the week and into Sunday. He tested negative for Covid but had contracted the flu. He was able to practice but was nowhere near 100 percent on game day.
“The main thing is we won, that’s all that matters,” he said, noting he’d rather have no catches and win than have a 100-yard game and lose. “It didn’t really hit me until Friday, it came out of nowhere. I was pretty bad, but I told myself this is the biggest game of the year and I had to do everything in my power to be good. Sickness really takes all the energy out of your body. I was trying, but it all worked out and I can’t complain.”
He’s now back and hoping for another chance to show off his skills in a championship game.
The roster from the Grey Cup win over the Bombers will not be the same one that reports to Guelph in May. Over a dozen new faces have already been added, while there is still a chance for the Argos to add a player or three via free agency; just don’t expect the Argos to be as active as they were in 2019, 2020 or 2022.
“We’ve done our due diligence,” Magri said. “We don’t anticipate being very active. We’re in a good position where we can pick our spots and look to bolster our depth or add pieces that we feel can help us get to where we want to get again.”
With that said, the league’s week-long negotiation window opened Sunday at noon. Teams are now in a situation where they’re allowed to negotiate with potential free agents currently under contract with another team. The Argos were active as that period commenced.
“We wouldn’t be doing our job if we weren’t on the phone talking to different players,” Magri explained. “We were busy (Sunday) and we’ll be busy the next couple of days but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be busy on February 14.”
With the key contract signings over the weekend, that mindset was reinforced.