By Canadian Press

Stampeders president/GM Hufnagel not expecting to be active in CFL free agency

Feb 7, 2022 | 1:13 PM

John Hufnagel isn’t expecting to be a major player when CFL free agency begins Tuesday.

That’s not a huge surprise given Calgary’s president/GM has spent much of the off-season re-signing many of the Stampeders’ pending free agents.

“I wish I had a few more dollars to spend but I’m comfortable with where we’re at,” Hufnagel told reporters during a video conference. “I’m more interested in spending money on the players that I know a lot about who are good football players and I think we’ve done that.

“(When free agency opens) I’ll probably get on the different websites and find out who everyone is signing and see what’s left. I’ve signed a lot of players already.”

In fact, Hufnagel said Calgary’s biggest off-season splash was signing Canadian linebacker Cam Judge on Friday. That move came hours after the Stampeders acquired Judge’s rights from Toronto for the rights to Canadian defensive back Royce Metchie, who also quickly signed with the Argonauts.

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With the majority of CFL players signing one-year contracts, GMs annually face a staggering number of pending free agents at season’s end. For many front-office executives like Hufnagel, a big key to success is re-signing their own key performers before they hit the open market.

And Hufnagel has been busy.

Calgary has re-signed the likes of receivers Kamar Jorden and Reggie Begelton, running back Ka’Deem Carey, backup quarterback Jake Maier, centre Sean McEwen, kicker Rene Paredes, defensive back Branden Dozier and defensive linemen Derek Wiggan and Mike Rose, to name a few. And Hufnagel said that number could increase before free agency kicks off at noon ET on Tuesday.

In December, Calgary starter Bo Levi Mitchell agreed to restructure his contract, which Hufnagel said provided the club with financial flexibility. And the Stampeders were also able to retain many of their key offensive performers who were pending free agents.

“We’re appreciative as a football club that Bo understood the big picture and allowed us to work things out so we were able to keep both quarterbacks,” he said. “You try to retain as many veterans to keep continuity and I think we’ve been able to do that.

“That’s what you strive for.”

It’s also been a very busy off-season for Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters, whose team has won the last two Grey Cups. Walters began the off-season with 41 pending free agents but after agreeing to extensions Monday with American defensive back Nick Taylor and Canadian running back Brady Oliveira. Walters has reduced that number to 17,

But with Winnipeg having re-signed Oliveira and fellow Canuck running back Johnny Augustine, it suggests veteran Andrew Harris will be among the Bombers’ veterans to hit free agency Tuesday.

Other CFL moves Monday include:

_ The Toronto Argonauts re-signed Canadian receiver Juwan Brescasin. The Mississauga, Ont., native was limited to five games last season due to injury, recording five catches for 44 yards and a TD.

_ The Ottawa Redblacks released American defensive back Brandin Dandridge to pursue NFL opportunities. The five-foot-11, 183-pound Dandridge appeared in eight games last season, registering 11 tackles, one special-teams tackle and four interceptions.

_ Saskatchewan released American defensive lineman Jonathan Woodard to pursue NFL opportunities. Woodard had 10 sacks last season but the Riders do retain Woodard’s CFL rights through the ’22 campaign.

_ The Montreal Alouettes signed running back William Stanback and receiver Jake Wieneke, both Americans, and Canadian linebacker Chris Ackie to contract extensions. The six-foot, 233-pound Stanback ran for 1,176 yards last season while accumulating 1,290 yards from scrimmage, both CFL highs. Ackie had a team-high 48 tackles last season along with six sacks and two interceptions. Wieneke had 56 catches for 898 yards and a CFL-best 11 TDs.

_ B.C. signed Canadian centre Peter Godber to a contract extension. The 27-year-old Godber started all 14 regular-season games last season and is entering his fourth season with the Lions.

CFL teams now have now have until 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday to make offers to their pending free agents. The players then have a two-hour window (10 a.m.-noon) to accept any offers that have been made to them since the opening of the CFL negotiation period Jan. 30.

If the player accepts any offer, the chosen team must then inform the CFL. Should the player turn down all offers, he’ll enter free agency and any prior offers will be no longer available.

The free-agency window was introduced in 2020 to curb tampering and allow pending free agents to explore all of their options.

The team that’s expected to be the most active in free agency is the Ottawa Redblacks, who finished last in the East Division last season with a 3-11 record.

New GM Shawn Burke has reportedly used the negotiation window to agree to terms with a host of potential free agents, including quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (Hamilton), running back William Powell (Saskatchewan), offensive lineman Ucambre Williams (Calgary) and Canadian defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng (Edmonton), to name just a few.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2022.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press