Quarterbacks top list of CFL’s pending free agents

Quarterback Cody Fajardo is among the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 32 pending free agents on a list revealed Thursday by the CFL.

Players that don’t re-sign with their teams can become free agents on Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. CST. Prior to the deadline, there is a window that allows teams to make official offers to pending free agents.

Fajardo has spent three seasons with the Riders, leading them to two consecutive West Division finals, in 2019 and 2021. The 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Fajardo started 15 games before being benched for the final two games of the regular season. He was benched for the first game against the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 22. A Riders win would have kept their slim playoff hopes alive for another week. With Mason Fine making his first CFL start at quarterback, the Riders’ post-season hopes were dashed by a 32-21 loss to the visiting Stampeders.

There are options for the Riders among the pending free-agent quarterbacks.

The highest-profile quarterback is Bo Levi Mitchell, whose rights were traded by the Stampeders to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Nov. 14. If Mitchell doesn’t sign with the Tiger-Cats, he would be eligible to become a free agent on Feb. 14. The future Hall of Famer would surely attract the interest of the Roughriders.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson of the 2022 Grey Cup champion Argonauts is also a pending free agent. He recently had surgery on a dislocated right thumb that he suffered in Toronto’s 24-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2022 Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium, but is expected to recover.

The other pending free-agent quarterbacks are Michael O’Connor (B.C. Lions), Antonio Pipkin (Lions), Dakota Prukop (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), Nick Arbuckle (Ottawa Redblacks), Caleb Evans (Redblacks), Matt Shiltz (Hamilton), Trevor Harris (Montreal Alouettes) and Dominique Davis (Alouettes).

Free agency may be an opportunity for the Riders to bolster their offensive line, which surrendered a team-record 77 sacks in 2022.

Stanley Bryant and Jermarcus Hardrick of the Blue Bombers are both pending free agents and could help the Riders at offensive tackle.

Bryant, who plays left tackle, is a four-time winner of the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman award (2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022) and a seven-time CFL all-star. The 36-year-old Bryant also shared in Winnipeg’s 2019 and 2021 Grey Cup championships.

Hardrick, 32, is also a two-time Grey Cup champion with the Blue Bombers. The right tackle was also named a CFL all-star in 2021.

B.C.’s Joel Figueroa, a 33-year-old left tackle, may also be an option for the Riders. He started all 18 regular-season games for the Lions in 2022, but missed the West Division semi-final due to a shoulder injury.

Also in consideration among the tackles are Derek Dennis (Calgary), Tony Washington (Edmonton) and Philip Blake (Toronto). Dennis, 34, was named a CFL all-star at tackle despite missing the final four games of the 2022 regular season with a cracked fibula.

What follows is a list of the league’s pending free agents:

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

AWE Micah A LB Texas Tech

BEVERETTE Tyrice A LB Stony Brook

BIERRIA Keishawn A LB Washington

CARON Pierre-Luc N LS Laval

CHAGNON Frederic N LB Montreal

CIBASU Regis N WR Montreal

COSTIGAN Thomas A DL Bryant University

DAVIS Dominique A QB East Carolina

DESJARDINS Vincent N DL Laval

EXUME Kerfalla-Emmanuel N DB Montreal

FLETCHER Walter A RB Ball State

HARRIS Trevor A QB Edinboro

JONES Mike A DB Temple

JONES Mike N WR Southern

JULIEN-GRANT Kaion N WR St. Francis Xavier

LEWIS Eugene A WR Oklahoma

LYON Nafees A DB UNC Charlotte

MAYALA Hergy N WR Connecticut

PICKETT Adarius A LB UCLA

REID Greg A DB Florida State

SCHLEUGER Chris A OL Alabama Birmingham

SUTTON Wes A DB Northern Arizona

THOMAS Ahmad A DB Oklahoma

WAKEFIELD Michael A DL Florida International

WHITE JR. Reggie A WR Monmouth

WIENEKE Jake A WR South Dakota State

WILSON Raheem A DB Southeastern Oklahoma State

WORTHY Chandler A WR Troy

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

ADAMS Darvin A WR Auburn

ARBUCKLE Nick A QB Georgia State

BALTIMORE Sherrod A DB Maine

BEHAR Nathaniel N WR Carleton

BENNETT Jackson N RB Ottawa

BOATENG Kwaku N DL Wilfrid Laurier

BOURASSA Louis-Philippe N LS Montreal

BOYD Dino A OL Cincinnati

CIRACO Darius N OL Calgary

COLEMAN Davon A DL Arizona State

CRANSTON Ty N DB Ottawa

DANDRIDGE Brandin A DB Missouri Western State

DAVIS Ryan A WR Auburn

DEDMON Devonte A WR William & Mary

DUBOIS Marco N WR Laval

EVANS Caleb A QB Louisiana At Monroe (NE)

GILLANDERS Brendan N RB Ottawa

GOSSELIN Anthony N RB Sherbrooke

GRIFFIN Frankie A LB Texas State (San Marcos)

HARRIS RJ A WR New Hampshire

HOWELL Justin N DB Carleton

HUNTER Monshadrik A DB Arkansas State

JOHNSON Shaquille N WR London Beefeaters

KANNEH Abdul A DB New Mexico Highlands

LAING Cleyon N DL Iowa State

LEONE Richie A K Houston

MARTIN-OGUIKE Praise A DL Temple

MAULDIN Lorenzo A DL Louisville

ONYEKA Kene N DL Carleton

POWELL William A RB Kansas State

PRUNEAU Antoine N DB Montreal

RICHARDS Randy A OL Missouri State

ROMICK Nigel N DL Saint Mary’s

SALMON Shaheed A LB Samford

SMITH Tevaun N WR Iowa

STEWARD Hunter N OL Liberty

WARD Lewis N K Ottawa

WEBB Damon A DB Ohio State

WILLIAMS Avery A LB Temple

WILLIAMS Ucambre A OL South Alabama

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

AMBLES Markeith A WR Houston

AMOS DaShaun A DB East Carolina

BEDE Boris A K Laval

BETHEL-THOMPSON McLeod A QB Sacramento State

BLAKE Philip N OL Baylor

BRESCACIN Juwan N DL Northern Iowa

CAGE Isiah A LB Carleton

CALVER Brandon N RB McMaster

DANIEL Robertson A DB Brigham Young

DANIELS DaVaris A WR Notre Dame

DAVIS Ja’Gared A DL Southern Methodist

EDWARDS Chris A LB Idaho

FOOTE Fabion N DL McMaster

GITTENS JR. Kurleigh N WR Wilfrid Laurier

HARRIS Andrew N RB Nanaimo Raiders Jr.

LATOUR Maxime N LS Sherbrooke

LAWRENCE Justin N OL Alberta

MCMANIS Wynton A LB Memphis

METCHIE Royce N DB Guelph

MUAMBA Henoc N LB St. Francis Xavier

OUELLETTE A.J. A RB Ohio

RAY Shane A DL Missouri

RICHARDSON Shaquille A LB Arizona

ROGERS Eric A WR California Lutheran

SMITH Robbie N DL Wilfrid Laurier

TATE Trevon A OL Memphis

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

CARNEY Malik A DL North Carolina

DOMAGALA Michael N K Carleton

DUNBAR Steven A WR Houston

DURANT Lemar N WR Simon Fraser

EVANS Ciante A DB Nebraska

GNAHOUA Valentin G DL McGill

HILLS Wes A RB Slippery Rock

HOWSARE Julian A DL Clarion

JOHNSON Micah A DL Kentucky

KELLY Colin A OL Oregon State

KELLY Kameron A LB San Diego State

LAURENT Ted N DL Mississippi

LAWRENCE Simoni A LB Minnesota

MANALO Myles N RB Western University

MITCHELL Bo Levi A QB Eastern Washington

NEWTON Curtis N LB Guelph

OKAFOR Kay N OL St. Francis Xavier

ROLLE Jumal A DB Catawba

SANTOS-KNOX Jovan A LB Massachusetts

SHILTZ Matt A QB Butler

THOMAS ERLINGTON Sean N RB Montreal

UNGERER David N WR Idaho

WHITE Tim A WR Arizona State

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

ADAMS Keion A DL Western Michigan

BAILEY Rasheed A WR Delaware Valley

BENSON Mike N LS Acadia

BRIGGS Jesse N LB McGill

BRYANT Stanley A OL East Carolina

COUTURE Michael N OL Simon Fraser

DARBY Alden A LB Arizona State

DEMSKI Nic N WR Manitoba

ELLINGSON Greg A WR Florida International

GAUTHIER Shayne N LB Laval

GRANT Janarion A WR Rutgers

HARDRICK Jermarcus A OL Nebraska

JEFFCOAT Jackson A DL Texas

LAWRENCE Desmond A DB North Carolina

MARUO Les G LB Texas at San Antonio

MASTON Mercy A DB Boise State

MILLER Mike N RB Acadia

PRUKOP Dakota A QB Oregon

ROSE Winston A DB New Mexico State

SAYLES Casey A DL Ohio

TAYLOR Nicholas A DB Florida International

THOMAS Jake N DL Acadia

WILSON Kyrie A LB Fresno State

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

BEAULIEU Jordan N DB Western University

BROWN Blace A DB Troy

CAMPBELL Jamal N OL York

CLARK Dan N OL Regina Jrs.

CLARK Jeremy A DB Michigan

COOPER Shaquille A RB Fort Hays State

DABIRE Charbel N DL Wagner College

DEAN Larry A LB Valdosta State

EDEM Mike N DB Calgary

EVANS Shaq A WR UCLA

FAJARDO Cody A QB Nevada

HARRIS Nigel A LB South Florida

HARTY Jake N WR Calgary

HERDMAN-REED Jordan N LB Simon Fraser

HERDMAN-REED Justin N LB Simon Fraser

HUGHES Charleston A DL Northwood University

JOHNSON Jr. Gary A LB Texas

LANIER II Anthony A DL Alabama A&M

LEWIS Wesley N WR Houston Baptist

MARSHALL Nick A DB Auburn

MCINNIS Justin N WR Arkansas State

MILLIGAN Rolan A DB Toledo

MOORE Kyran A WR Austin Peay

MORROW Jamal A RB Washington State

ONYEKA Godfrey N DB Wilfrid Laurier

PICTON Mitchell N WR Regina

ROBERTSON Pete A DL Texas Tech

SANKEY Darnell A LB Sacramento State

ST. JOHN Josiah N OL Oklahoma

TUCK James N RB York

VAUGHN Terran A OL Stephen F. Austin State

WILLIAMS Duke A WR Auburn

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

BANE Shawn A WR Northwest Missouri State

BANKS Stefen A DL Savannah State

BEGELTON Reggie A WR Lamar

BOUKA Elie N DB Calgary

BRANCH Marcelis A DB Robert Morris College

CRAWFORD Aaron N LS Saint Mary’s

DENNIS Derek A OL Temple

DOZIER Branden A DB UNC Charlotte

ELLIOTT Javien A DB Florida State

HUNCHAK Colton N WR York

JORDEN Kamar A WR Bowling Green State

JUDGE Cameron N LB UCLA

LANGLAIS William N RB Sherbrooke

LEMON Shawn A DL Akron

MOXEY Jonathan A DB Boise State

MUHAMMAD Brad A DB Florida International

ORIMOLADE Folarin A DL Dartmouth

POWER Charlie N RB Saskatchewan

SINDANI Richard N WR Regina

SOPIK Fraser N LB Western University

STATZ Nicholas N DB Calgary

STEWART Silas A LB Incarnate Word

THURMAN Jameer A LB Indiana State

WASHINGTON Trumaine A DB Louisville

WILLIAMS Zack N OL Manitoba

EDMONTON ELKS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

ANTIGHA Tobi A LB Presbyterian College

ARCENEAUX Emmanuel A WR Alcorn State

BONNER Tim A DL Florida Atlantic

CARTER Duron A DB Florida Atlantic

CERESNA Jake A DL Cortland State

DECOUD Treston A DB Oregon State

DUBUISSON Mike N LB Windsor

GAINEY Ed A DB Appalachian State

HARRY Jamie N DB Ottawa

HENRY Makana N DL Burlington Jrs.

LACEY Deon A LB West Alabama

LAWLER Kenny A WR California

MARSHALL Jalin A WR Ohio State

MILANOVIC-LITRE Ante N RB Simon Fraser

MRABURE Ese N DL Wilfrid Laurier

NOEL Llevi N WR Toronto

OSEI-KUSI Chris N WR Queen’s

REAVES Jordan N LB Brandon University

RECTOR Christian A DL Southern California

RICHARDS Jeff A DB Emporia State

RYAN Jonathan N K Regina

VANDERVOORT Daniel N WR McMaster

WALKER Derel A WR Texas A&M

WASHINGTON Tony A OL Abilene Christian

BC LIONS

NAME A/N/G POS COLLEGE

BANKS Joshua A DL Wake Forest

BREAUX Delvin A DB Louisiana State

BURNHAM Bryan A WR Tulsa

BUTLER James A RB Iowa

CHUNGH Sukh N OL Calgary

DOLL Tanner N LS Calgary

FIGUEROA Joel A OL Miami

FRANCIS Kevin N LB North Carolina A&T

GODBER, Peter N OL Rice

GUZYLAK-MESSAM Isaiah N LB Wilfrid Laurier

GWACHAM Obum A DL Oregon State

JOHNSON Hakeem N DB Western University

KNEVEL David N OL Nebraska

LEE TJ A DB Eastern Washington

LOKOMBO Bo N LB Oregon

MACKIE David N RB Western University

MENARD David N DL Montreal

O’CONNOR Michael N QB UBC

PEIRSON Andrew N OL Gannon

PETERS Garry A DB Clemson

PIPKIN Antonio A QB Tiffin

ROSS Shai N WR Manitoba

SCARFONE Jacob N WR Guelph

VILLAMIZAR Mario N RB Wilfrid Laurier

WHYTE Sean N K South Fraser Rams Jrs.

LEGEND: N — National; A — American; G — Global.

mmccormick@postmedia.com

twitter.com/murraylp

The sports world is ever-changing, as are the times. Supplement your steady diet of sports coverage by subscribing to the Regina Leader-Post’s 306 Sports Fix newsletter. Each week, sports editor Rob Vanstone will provide additional commentary on the Roughriders, Pats and other teams/sports of interest, along with a peek behind the curtain. Click here to subscribe.