Geoff Robins/CFL.ca
HAMILTON — With just a few days until the free agency period opens, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats front office has been busy putting pen to paper.
Along with locking up a number of offensive players holding expiring contracts including quarterback Dane Evans, receiver Steven Dunbar Jr., running back Don Jackson and offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg, the Ticats also made sure to keep a handful of impact defenders in black and gold.
Linebackers Simoni Lawrence and Jovan Santos-Knox along with defensive backs Cariel Brooks and Tunde Adeleke all signed extensions with Hamilton over the last few weeks. And on Thursday, defensive lineman Dylan Wynn signed a new two-year deal.
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Cariel Brooks signed a new deal to stay with the Tiger-Cats ahead of Free Agency (Geoff Robins/CFL.ca)
Brooks, who signed his new two-year contract on Wednesday, said he did listen to a few offers from other teams during the league’s negotiation window before the free agency period opened on February 8. But seeing some of his other defensive teammates stick sign extensions, along with the culture that has been curated and the coaching staff in Hamilton, his decision to stay with the Ticats became an easy one.
“Seeing all of those guys sign definitely weighed on my decision,” Brooks told Ticats.ca’s Louie B. “Those guys are great talent. Great for our culture here in Hamilton. That definitely helped. Moving forward, if we could continue to bring foundational pieces like like myself, Tunde, Simoni, Jovan, then we can be right back in the position we were in last season.”
Brooks had an excellent year in 2021, playing in 12 games and hitting a league-leading, and career-high, five interceptions as he and his team appeared in the 108th Grey Cup. The five-foot-10, 200-pound defensive back also added 23 tackles, three pass knockdowns and one QB sack on his way to being named a CFL All-Star for the first time in his career and an East Division All-Star for the second.
Along with Brooks, another member of the team’s defensive backfield, versatile defensive back Tunde Adeleke was also signed to a new contract. Adeleke’s ability to play anywhere in the secondary and succeed at each position was a big part of the Tiger-Cats run to the Grey Cup in 2021.
“I think it’s a big thing that Coach O instills in us is the next man up mentality,” Adeleke told Ticats.ca. “No one is comfortable being the backup. It’s always like, ‘I might get my opportunity’ and every team and every CFL player knows that eventually something is going to happen and someone is going to get their opportunity to step up. I think that’s one of the best things about our team is just guys are always ready.”
With the signing of Lawrence and Santos-Knox, and Kameron Kelly already under contract, the entire linebacking corps from 2021 is back in the fold.
“That’s another big blessing,” Lawrence told Ticats.ca after signing his new deal last week. “Having guys like that, like Kam and Jovan, next to me all season and understanding that I get the opportunity to play football with them again (was important). That camaraderie was massive and not just to have them being great players but great practice players as well because that goes into football a lot. Having your guys out there every single day at practice working hard with you so you’re building that bond even more.”
Lawrence had another excellent year donning the black and gold, earning his second Most Outstanding Defensive Player nomination in a row. The 33-year-old finished first in defensive touchdowns (tie-2), fifth in defensive tackles (73), sixth in interceptions (tie-3) and eighth in total tackles (73).
The work doesn’t stop for Hamilton’s front office with the free agency period looming early next week as they look to put together a team that they hope will play in the Grey Cup this November in Regina.
– With files from Ticats.ca
