August opt-outs now eligible to enter free agent pool

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — This year has been filled with irregularities and CFL Free Agency will be no different. A nuance of this 2021’s pool of potential FAs is the one-time contract opt-out that took place last August.

With the cancellation of the 2020 season, the CFL and CFLPA agreed on a seven-day window where players could opt out of their current CFL contracts in an attempt to find a spot on an NFL roster.

So how does this alter 2021 free agency?

Well, any player who exercised the opt-out and had a contract expiring in February 2021, will be eligible to hit the market should they not opt back in and extend their contract with their current club. Essentially, once a player used this one-time opt-out window, their current CFL club retained their rights for the remainder of that contract.

The CFL announced Tuesday that the following players who opted out in August will now be placed on the primary free agent list and could be eligible to sign with another club on February 9th:

TEAM	A/N	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	POS	SCHOOL
BC	AMER	Mat	BOESEN	DL	Texas Christian
BC	AMER	Ryan	BROWN	DL	Mississippi State
BC	AMER	Kenneth	LADLER	DB	Vanderbilt
CGY	AMER	Da’Sean	DOWNEY	DL	Massachusetts
CGY	AMER	Branden	DOZIER	DB	UNC Charlotte
CGY	AMER	Lorenzo	JEROME	DB	St. Francis University
CGY	AMER	Wynton	MCMANIS	LB	Memphis
CGY	AMER	Raheem	WILSON	DB	Southeastern Oklahoma State
CGY	AMER	Josh	HUFF	WR	Oregon
EDM	AMER	Jovan	SANTOS-KNOX	LB	Massachusetts
EDM	AMER	Troy	WILLIAMS	QB	Utah
HAM	AMER	Ja’Gared	DAVIS	DL	SMU
OTT	AMER	Richie	LEONE	K	Houston
OTT	AMER	Marcus	ROBERSON	DB	Florida
OTT	AMER	Jalen	SAUNDERS	WR	Oklahoma
SSK	AMER	Gary	JOHNSON	LB	Texas
SSK	NAT	Cameron	JUDGE	LB	UCLA
SSK	AMER	Deon	LACEY	LB	West Alabama
SSK	NAT	Brett	LAUTHER	K	Saint Mary’s
SSK	AMER	Tevin	MITCHELL	DB	Arkansas
SSK	NAT	Jonathan	RYAN	P	Regina
TOR	AMER	Jordan	MOORE	LB	Texas at San Antonio
TOR	AMER	Mcleod	BETHEL-THOMPSON	QB	Sacramento State
WPG	AMER	Janarion	GRANT	WR	Rutgers
WPG	AMER	Kenny	LAWLER	WR	California
WPG	AMER	Mercy	MASTON	DB	Boise State

The 2021 CFL free agency period officially opens at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Below lists the active players who will become CFL free agents should they not re-sign with their current respective team. The status column indicates whether a player has re-signed with his team or is still bound for the open market.

On Sunday, January 31, 2021, the official Free Agency communication window opens where teams can begin negotiating with players under contract with other teams. To learn more about this window as it enters its second year, click here.

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