CFL calendar busy with free agency, virtual combines, drafts

TORONTO — With the frenzy to sign free agent players fast approaching, roster building is taking centre stage as CFL teams prepare to return to the field in 2021.

Here is a look ahead:

2021 Free Agency: A Primer

Players who are not under contract to a CFL club can sign with one at any time. But there is a significant contingent of CFL players whose contracts are set to expire as of February 9. They are usually referred to as pending free agents. And this is how the free agency process works for them: Phase One covers the period from January 31 until noon ET on February 7. During this time, these pending free agents can communicate with the team they are currently under contract with AND with any of the other eight clubs in the CFL. This is known as the negotiation window for pending free agents. Phase Two goes from noon ET on February 7^th until noon ET on February 9^th. During this 48-hour time period, these pending free agents can sign a new contract with the team they are currently with but not with any other club. Next comes Phase Three: from noon ET on February 9 onwards, these players can sign with any CFL club. This is the time period during which some big names traditionally change teams.

Here is some of the most recent and relevant content from the CFL on free agency:

2021 Free Agent Tracker
Top-30 Pending Free Agents
Top-10 Canadian Pending Free Agents
Most Wanted: A Ratio-Breaker on Defence
Most Wanted: An Outstanding Canadian Linebacker
Most Wanted: A Dominant Pass-Rushing Presence

2021 Global Draft: Date and Order Announced

The 2021 Global Draft, for players from outside the US and Canada,  will take place on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET. The draft order for the first round was determined by a random draw in which every CFL club had an equal chance at getting the first pick. Subsequent rounds will follow a ‘snake’ format. That means the reverse order of the previous round. For example, barring trades, the team that had the first pick in Round One will have the last pick in Round Two.

The Global Draft will consist of four rounds. A total of 36 prospects will be selected from leagues and federations with partnership agreements with the CFL.

Below is the Global Draft Order:

2021 CFL Combine presented by New Era goes virtual

Due to COVID-19, combine testing, football drills and interviews will be conducted remotely, using video and online tools. For this year only, this approach replaces the traditional in-person gathering of young prospects and football personnel from the league’s nine member clubs.

These modifications apply to all CFL combines and all prospects.

For more information, click here.

2021 CFL Draft: A Refresher

The CFL has not yet announced the date for the CFL Draft of Canadian players from U SPORTS in Canada and NCAA teams in the United States.

But it has revealed some modifications to this year’s draft.

Here’s a recap:

• The draft order will be determined by a random draw that is equally weighted across the nine CFL clubs. For the 2021 Draft order, click here.
• The 2021 CFL Draft will feature a “snake” format.
• The 2021 CFL Draft will be six rounds long instead of the traditional eight rounds. This is in recognition of the fact that 2021 CFL training camps will feature a “double cohort” of Canadian rookies, with a group from each of the 2020 and 2021 CFL Drafts.
• There will be no territorial selections in the 2021 CFL Draft.
• NCAA players who are draft eligible in the 2021 CFL Draft, and decide to use their extra year of eligibility, will not have their draft year deferred.