Around the CFL 2025

[ben_the_eskimo]

Rourke and Betts. Adding them half way thru the season when it was too late to make cuts to vets with bigger salaries = going WAY over. While it cost them 2 picks & $647K in fines they still have Rourke and Betts for a minimum of the next 2 seasons. It begs the question was losing the 2 picks, who may or may not go on to have impactful careers, and paying the fines a fair price to have perhaps a top tier starting QB for the next decade and an impact NAT edge rusher for next 2 years? Only time will tell but it seems like a good gamble? Edmonton was.in too much upheaval at that precise point in time what with Jones being fired and the upcoming ownership change. My gut feel is that despite any Tre Ford man-love if Hervey was in charge he would have done exactly what BC did SMS be damned.

I actually have no problem with what BC did, it’s a salary “management system” not a salary “cap”. If a team has the money to pay the fine, and the sacrificed draft picks are deemed worthy of the gamble by that team then it seems like a perfectly reasonable decision to me. Might not be a popular opinion but I’ve been leaning that way more and more over the past few years.

The one problem I see is if you were to play that line of thinking out to its extreme end then you theoretically end up with the “have” teams purchasing player services at prices the “have not” teams could never hope to meet but it hasn’t come to that yet.

[eskfan152]

I don’t like the fact that Calgary picked up both of the forfeited picks. I think the first two rounds should have been 8 pick rounds instead of 9.

[Hammer24]

I actually have no problem with what BC did, it’s a salary “management system” not a salary “cap”. If a team has the money to pay the fine, and the sacrificed draft picks are deemed worthy of the gamble by that team then it seems like a perfectly reasonable decision to me. Might not be a popular opinion but I’ve been leaning that way more and more over the past few years.

The one problem I see is if you were to play that line of thinking out to its extreme end then you theoretically end up with the “have” teams purchasing player services at prices the “have not” teams could never hope to meet but it hasn’t come to that yet.

I hear you. However it was a very unusual set of circumstances to have two National players of their calibre suddenly come available after the halfway point of the season with their former team having heavy interest in getting them back in a Grey Cup hosting year. I think when they signed Rourke they did so know it would cost them their 1st.

BC fans hated it when Wally couldn't re-sign Bighill for cap reasons when he returned from the NFL on the eve of 2018 training camp. They would have been livid at Doman and BC management had the most popular Lion in a decade in Rourke signed in Calgary or elsewhere with the Lions having just lost VA for the foreseeable future while in a chase for a playoff spot. If they had to come down the stretch relying on Dolegala they might not have made the post season.

I thought Betts was a nice to have, not a have to have. But they were struggling trying to generate a pass rush, riding a 5 game losing skid and faded to 5-6 when he came available. Calgary was 4-7 and Edmonton seemed be turning things around at 3-8 and already had the season series with BC in the bag. After inking Rourke and knowing the cap situation that put them in I think they figured what the hell, might as well go all in. No sense trying to be a little bit pregnant.

[Looner]

No sense trying to be a little bit pregnant.

[Looner]

Looks like we have our new commish

https://www.tsn.ca/dave-naylor-tsn-p...-cfl-1.2280948

[tigerdar]

Looks like we have our new commish

https://www.tsn.ca/dave-naylor-tsn-p...-cfl-1.2280948

joy

[Esks4ever]

Looks like we have our new commish

https://www.tsn.ca/dave-naylor-tsn-p...-cfl-1.2280948

clearly the choice was influenced by TSN. This is going to suck for the CFL. TSN already treats the CFL as a hobby. We damn well know the golden child teams will get preferred treatment and We will be ****ed with how much TSN hates Edmonton since Mic Gate..

Probably one of worse hires they could make. The Rash would have been the worst.

[Hammer24]

clearly the choice was influenced by TSN. This is going to suck for the CFL. TSN already treats the CFL as a hobby. We damn well know the golden child teams will get preferred treatment and We will be ****ed with how much TSN hates Edmonton since Mic Gate..

Probably one of worse hires they could make. The Rash would have been the worst.

I think the opposite. The biggest initial challenge of the new Commish will be negotiation of the next TV contract. That's a bit of a misnomer because it's no longer totally about TV. It will be about TV, Digital and Streaming rights. Having held prominent roles with both TSN and Bell Media Johnston will have intimate knowledge about the direction ALL media entities must pursue in those areas to remain viable. He should know where the opportunities are and how to leverage them for the best fiscal outcome. Having somebody with such industry knowledge in their camp bodes very well for the CFL as they negotiate their next broadcasting contract.

I don't get the idea of TSN treating the CFL as a hobby. That's what CBC and CTV used to do. TSN has put in far more effort to build the CFL brand than those other two ever did. Doing things like televising the Draft, putting on shows like Mic'd Up, various highlights shows and making FNF, TNF and even SNF show willingness to promote the league and try new things to boost ratings. If CBC was still running things all we'd see is a 3 hour broadcast starting just before the National Anthem and ending minutes after the game ended. You wouldn't hear another CFL peep from them until their next game kicked off.

As for golden child teams well guess what. With Larry Thompson taking over the Elks are one of them moving forward. Mic-gate? Pfffft. That was a case of Maas being a dick nearly a decade ago. If TSN still carries a grudge over that, which is ridiculous, then they should be taking it out on Maas and whatever team he's involved with.

https://globalnews.ca/news/2999124/e...ing-live-mics/

Much is being made of Rogers' new TV deal doubling in value from the old deal which kicked in back in 2014. I don't know if it's purely coincidence but back in 2014 when Rogers' then $5.2B over 12 year deal ($433.3M/year) kicked in the CFL also saw a big jump in their rights deal with TSN going from around $15M to $43M/year over 5 years. TSN pays for 86 games including Grey Cup plus a couple of preseaaon games. Rogers pays for national rights in Canada to all NHL games including Stanley Cup playoffs. CFL's current deal provides $50M annually. If one breaks things down on a per game basis the CFL deal provides revenue that is much closer per game than the perception the NHL's big bucks figure presents.

Coincidentally the next CFL deal will kick in as the first season of Rogers new $11B extension is winding down. I think that bodes well for the CFL. The value of the NHL's deal that took effect back in 2014 doubled. I don't believe it's unrealistic for the CFL's next deal to see a similar doubling in value from $43M in 2014 to $86M for 2027. I'd expect the existing profit sharing clause that sees TSN and CFL share additional revenues if certain targets are hit. My hunch is that part of the announced extra money the CFLPA is currently making distribution decisions on is funded in part by the additional revenues from TSN.

[Looner]

I think the opposite. The biggest initial challenge of the new Commish will be negotiation of the next TV contract. That's a bit of a misnomer because it's no longer totally about TV. It will be about TV, Digital and Streaming rights. Having held prominent roles with both TSN and Bell Media Johnston will have intimate knowledge about the direction ALL media entities must pursue in those areas to remain viable. He should know where the opportunities are and how to leverage them for the best fiscal outcome. Having somebody with such industry knowledge in their camp bodes very well for the CFL as they negotiate their next broadcasting contract.

I don't get the idea of TSN treating the CFL as a hobby. That's what CBC and CTV used to do. TSN has put in far more effort to build the CFL brand than those other two ever did. Doing things like televising the Draft, putting on shows like Mic'd Up, various highlights shows and making FNF, TNF and even SNF show willingness to promote the league and try new things to boost ratings. If CBC was still running things all we'd see is a 3 hour broadcast starting just before the National Anthem and ending minutes after the game ended. You wouldn't hear another CFL peep from them until their next game kicked off.

As for golden child teams well guess what. With Larry Thompson taking over the Elks are one of them moving forward. Mic-gate? Pfffft. That was a case of Maas being a dick nearly a decade ago. If TSN still carries a grudge over that, which is ridiculous, then they should be taking it out on Maas and whatever team he's involved with.

https://globalnews.ca/news/2999124/e...ing-live-mics/

Much is being made of Rogers' new TV deal doubling in value from the old deal which kicked in back in 2014. I don't know if it's purely coincidence but back in 2014 when Rogers' then $5.2B over 12 year deal ($433.3M/year) kicked in the CFL also saw a big jump in their rights deal with TSN going from around $15M to $43M/year over 5 years. TSN pays for 86 games including Grey Cup plus a couple of preseaaon games. Rogers pays for national rights in Canada to all NHL games including Stanley Cup playoffs. CFL's current deal provides $50M annually. If one breaks things down on a per game basis the CFL deal provides revenue that is much closer per game than the perception the NHL's big bucks figure presents.

Coincidentally the next CFL deal will kick in as the first season of Rogers new $11B extension is winding down. I think that bodes well for the CFL. The value of the NHL's deal that took effect back in 2014 doubled. I don't believe it's unrealistic for the CFL's next deal to see a similar doubling in value from $43M in 2014 to $86M for 2027. I'd expect the existing profit sharing clause that sees TSN and CFL share additional revenues if certain targets are hit. My hunch is that part of the announced extra money the CFLPA is currently making distribution decisions on is funded in part by the additional revenues from TSN.

great take from one of my favorite posters on here. He is getting glowing endorsements from current and former staffers at TSN. The more I learn about him, the more optimistic I am that we've made the right choice here

[Esks4ever]

TSN "bought" the CFL to run it how they want. Mic Gate was ****. And Ya Maas was a dick - but so was Hervey and he's back so I'd suspect TSN and all their people we be on his ass all season long. They control the CFL. All the micromanaging games influenced by TSN for all their sports betting bull****.

Maybe Golden Child is the wrong term now... it use to be all riders love in, but its progressed to Lions, Bombers, Riders and Toronto at various times. IIRC they've picked the Argos to be the Grey Cup champs again dispite losing a bunch of stars.

Hey, you want to watch the start of the CFL game ? well too bad we need to show you poker to the end. Or CFL will be on TSN 5 because some less important sport MUST be shown on TSN 1, 2, and 3 with poker on 4.

I have a deep hatred for TSN and most of the CFL broadcasters, and I fear with a exTSN employee it'll be worse now. Now they truly control the CFL. (potentially)


I'll give this guy some rope and see what he does. Besides it could have been worse with Suitor or The Rash.

[Hammer24]

great take from one of my favorite posters on here. He is getting glowing endorsements from current and former staffers at TSN. The more I learn about him, the more optimistic I am that we've made the right choice here

Gosh. Thanks for the compliment Looner. Much appreciated.

Another aspect I didn't mention that could help secure a much better new deal is the new found strength, wealth and stability in ownership. That has to be a big plus in the CFL's favour.

Back in 2014 the CFL was ushering in a new 9th team in Ottawa led by 67s owner Jeff Hunt. Braley owned both the Lions and Argos. Montreal still had absentee owner Bob Wetenhall but the shine on the Als was starting to show signs of rust. When they renewed for $50M in 2019 and extended in 2022 there were still ownership challenges. Doman had just come on board. For the 2nd time in 4 years there were problems in Montreal. Toronto's attendance was abysmal. Now they have Doman, Thompson, CSEG, MLSE, OSEG, Caretaker Young & HSE, PKP and 2 community ownership groups. Things are significantly better. BC has steadily trended upwards. Montreal has turned a corner. Edmonton appears to be in excellent hands and well on the way to climbing back out of the nosedive of recent years. While we'd love to see Toronto playing to much bigger crowds the Argos are steadily trending in the right direction.

The CFL today looks like a much better investment for a media entity than at any point in the past few decades.

[Looner]

Gosh. Thanks for the compliment Looner. Much appreciated.

Another aspect I didn't mention that could help secure a much better new deal is the new found strength, wealth and stability in ownership. That has to be a big plus in the CFL's favour.

Back in 2014 the CFL was ushering in a new 9th team in Ottawa led by 67s owner Jeff Hunt. Braley owned both the Lions and Argos. Montreal still had absentee owner Bob Wetenhall but the shine on the Als was starting to show signs of rust. When they renewed for $50M in 2019 and extended in 2022 there were still ownership challenges. Doman had just come on board. For the 2nd time in 4 years there were problems in Montreal. Toronto's attendance was abysmal. Now they have Doman, Thompson, CSEG, MLSE, OSEG, Caretaker Young & HSE, PKP and 2 community ownership groups. Things are significantly better. BC has steadily trended upwards. Montreal has turned a corner. Edmonton appears to be in excellent hands and well on the way to climbing back out of the nosedive of recent years. While we'd love to see Toronto playing to much bigger crowds the Argos are steadily trending in the right direction.

The CFL today looks like a much better investment for a media entity than at any point in the past few decades.

great point and if we can start getting revenue from Gambling, each teams bottom line will look even better.

[bone]

great point and if we can start getting revenue from Gambling, each teams bottom line will look even better.

To really capitalize on gambling though, they need their stat platform to perform much better going forward.

[bone]

Rule changes for 2025. Almost all focussed on penalizing dirty plays more heavily and removing the lenience of penalizing those when in the Red Zone.

Not sure if I really understand the intent with the change on the offside pass rule. I'm having a hard time thinking of scenarios that this would have been a factor on a play.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/05/15/cfl-bo...coming-season/

[Looner]

Rule changes for 2025. Almost all focussed on penalizing dirty plays more heavily and removing the lenience of penalizing those when in the Red Zone.

Not sure if I really understand the intent with the change on the offside pass rule. I'm having a hard time thinking of scenarios that this would have been a factor on a play.

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/05/15/cfl-bo...coming-season/

the ineligible receiver one is interesting. If I read it correctly you could toss a ball to a receiver and they could throw to anyone, including Olineman. What I'm unsure about is handoffs, can the RB now throw to anyone? If so you could get the RB to take the snap, toss it to the QB and he could throw to anyone.

I must be reading that wrong