Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Just seven weeks removed from lifting the Grey Cup, Kenny Lawler has some decisions to make.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ receiver remains with the club until Feb. 8, when the CFL free agent market officially opens. Should he still be available in just over a week’s time, he’ll have an enviable amount of options in front of him
Let’s start with the first one, that sees him stay in Blue and Gold, like so many of his teammates have through this winter. Almost every pending free agent that’s opted to stay in Winnipeg has used one of the following words when going through their reasoning to do so: Family, brotherhood, closeness, chemistry, bond, etc.
There is undoubtedly something special percolating at IG Field, where all of the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit perfectly together in the land of the back-to-back Grey Cup champions. Lawler, with a team and league-leading 1,014 yards through 13 games in 2021, is a big piece of that puzzle. The success that the 27-year-old found in his second season in the CFL has opened some doors for him. In a world laced with problems, it’s nice to see someone full of the good kind strewn about in front of him, waiting to be sorted out.
2022 FREE AGENCY
» Official Free Agent Tracker
» Bio: Kenny Lawler’s career numbers
» More free agency headlines
» CFL.ca’s Top 30 Pending Free Agents
In Week 9 of the 2021 season, Lawler put up a career-best 205 receiving yards against the Lions, with his dominance on full display (Photo: The Canadian Press)
The first one is the NFL option. Lawler had a workout with the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 11 and as Bombers’ GM Kyle Walters told reporters last week, he’s waiting to see what comes of that before he can get into serious contract talks with Lawler.
Then there’s the lure of other CFL teams. 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk reported on Sunday that the BC Lions took full advantage of the recently opened free agent negotiation window to lob a $250,000 offer at Lawler.
With the Bombers spending to retain other key pieces of that puzzle like Zach Collaros, Stanley Bryant, Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat and Adam Bighill, a premium salary like that for a player that isn’t a QB might be too hard to match. The Lions certainly won’t be the only CFL team to reach out to Lawler offering what they’ll believe to be greener pastures through this week and next, pending Lawler putting his name to a contract before Feb. 8.
A young and obviously talented receiver that’s won on the biggest stage in the CFL, Lawler heads toward free agency with everything on the table. A shot in the NFL is the most alluring option, but should he stay in Canada he’ll face the decision that so many of his teammates have over the last few years. There may be better money for him in Vancouver or elsewhere, but he’ll have to weigh what he’d be giving up in Winnipeg.
Will Lawler go the route that Collaros, Bryant, Jeffcoat, Jefferson and Bighill have, taking less money to move forward with a team and a formula that’s proven to work? Or will he opt to get paid like the top performer that he is and hope that his experience in Blue and Gold can be the key piece in a new puzzle?
Surrounded by nothing but good problems, we eagerly wait to see what solution Lawler lands on.
