January 30, 2023

Steinberg’s MMQB: The right fit

The Canadian Press

There’s something to be said about a good situation. While Bo Levi Mitchell had been on record about his desire to potentially test free agency, it ultimately made too much sense to sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Ticats made the first move by acquiring the two-time Most Outstanding Player in November. Then last week, Hamilton and Mitchell agreed to a three-year contract.

As attractive as free agency might have been, I don’t know how many other places would have checked all the boxes the Tiger-Cats do. Hamilton is a great football town with passionate fans. They’re led by a highly respected head coach in Orlondo Steinauer. They have top notch playmakers on both sides of the ball. And the Ticats are committed to winning. All these things are important to Mitchell.

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When it comes to winning, Hamilton has done plenty of it. The Tiger-Cats have made the playoffs the last four years and eight of the last nine seasons. More importantly, Hamilton has appeared in two of the last three Grey Cups and isn’t far removed from a 15-win season in 2019. And, with the CFL’s longest active championship drought, winning is all this group is focused on for the next three years.

Additionally, Hamilton’s recent winning pedigree correlates with Steinauer’s return from the NCAA. After a season with Fresno State, Steinauer rejoined the Tiger-Cats in 2018 as assistant head coach before taking over as head coach the following season. The team has qualified for the playoffs in all four of those seasons after missing in 2017.

Now that Mitchell is signed and his salary cap number for 2023 is figured out, Hamilton can get to work bringing back an impressive list of pending free agents. With such a big piece of business to take care of, you can understand why the Ticats have been quiet in that regard. But you can bet they’ll start scratching names off the list over the next couple weeks.

Of particular interest to Mitchell are a pair of receivers coming off breakout seasons. Tim White led Hamilton with 1,265 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 and finished near the top of the league in both categories. Right there with him was Steven Dunbar, who racked up 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. Both players need new contracts this year.

On the defensive side, the Tiger-Cats have lots to take care of, too. D-line mainstays Julian Howsare and Ted Laurent are both pending free agents. The same is true with linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, coming off a breakout season in his own right, and perennial All-Star Simoni Lawrence. And in the backfield, Jumal Rolle, Kameron Kelly, and Ciante Evans are all in need of new deals.

Taking care of Mitchell’s situation feels like the first domino to fall in Hamilton’s off-season and I’m expecting a good number of those free agents to sign back prior to February 14. Adding a player of Mitchell’s calibre sure won’t hurt the cause for the Ticats.

New man on top

With Mitchell signed, the number one ranked player on the CFL.ca top 30 free agent list is now off the board. That leaves receiver Eugene Lewis as the top ranked player still available with the opening of 2023 free agency just over two weeks away. For Lewis and the Montreal Alouettes, it’s getting down to crunch time.

 

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, there’s going to be other teams that want me this year,” Lewis told the Montreal Gazette in November. “We’re not going to sit here and act like that’s not a real thing. Montreal’s in the driver’s seat right now because I’m still under contract. I know how old I am. We’re only in our prime as players for so long and we only do this for so long. At some point in time, you have to be a little selfish.”

You can’t blame Lewis on this one. He’s 29 years old and coming off a monster season where he finished third with 1,303 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. Lewis has never had more leverage and deserves to be paid commensurate to what he is: a human highlight reel and one of the CFL’s elite receivers.

As Lewis said, the Als are in the driver’s seat and not just because they have exclusive negotiating rights until mid-February. Lewis has been on record multiple times about how much he loves playing in Montreal. Additionally, the Alouettes are building something and have made the playoffs two straight seasons after a couple of really dark years.

But if Lewis doesn’t get the deal he’s looking for, he’ll have plenty of options on the open market. Kenny Lawler is the most recent example of a receiver going to free agency and getting paid, as he did when Edmonton signed him in 2022 after a breakout season in Winnipeg. Make no mistake: Lewis holds a lot of the cards here and knows he’ll get a big deal elsewhere if it comes to that.

The smart money remains on a return to Montreal. If that doesn’t happen, though, a couple of other East Division teams present interesting landing spots. Joining Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats would be fascinating as a huge splash to complement their new quarterback. And I also look at Ottawa. The REDBLACKS will have a healthy Jeremiah Masoli and second year general manager Shawn Burke would love to see his team avoid a fourth straight year out of the playoffs.

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