2025-2026 Offseason thread

[BeaverSports]

We've all been posting around off-season issues on the other threads, so I thought it might be time to start a new one.

I saw Dave Campbell tweets (Is that what we call them still?) about Robbie Smith restructuring his contract and Jordan Williams being re-signed. I'm not sure what the terms are on either, but it looks like Hervey is working to keep some DL depth and save a bit of money. Thoughts?

[Looner]

We've all been posting around off-season issues on the other threads, so I thought it might be time to start a new one.

I saw Dave Campbell tweets (Is that what we call them still?) about Robbie Smith restructuring his contract and Jordan Williams being re-signed. I'm not sure what the terms are on either, but it looks like Hervey is working to keep some DL depth and save a bit of money. Thoughts?

I'm thinking we have cap room left for this year that they are using up

[Looner]

Great interview with Matt O'Donnell, gives me a lot of faith in our upper management.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OL6okus1_M

[Esks4ever]

We've all been posting around off-season issues on the other threads, so I thought it might be time to start a new one.

I saw Dave Campbell tweets (Is that what we call them still?)

We do still call them that.... I doubt you'd want to say you saw Dave Campbell's X's.

[Looner]

Along with a restructured Robbie Smith, we added Zebrowski (QB) and JJ Jones (WR) to the active roster

[Looner]

JJ Jones

https://www.facebook.com/BDWPDEsport...4785071277731/

[bone]

Elks Schedule quite different from the last few seasons.

Home games include only 1 Thursday game and 0 Sunday games, but 4 Friday games (including pre-season) and 5 Saturday games. Only 2 starts later than 7:00 (both 7:30 on a Friday) and 4 of the 5 Saturday games are 5:00 starts.

I think that's a pretty marketable home schedule. Cabin dwellers won't like it but really they didn't like the Sunday games either and no one else likes Thursday games.

Byes are Week 2, 13, 18 so again they have one of the longer stretches without a bye, but 2 byes in the final 8 weeks should be nice if the team is looking to make the playoffs.

Short weeks. Edmonton kind of gets hosed again having 3 short weeks, but one of those the opponent also has the same short week, and another has the opponent only having one extra day off (Ottawa) but with travel. The 3rd short week has them playing Winnipeg in Winnipeg with them coming off a bye, so that may be a tough one, but it would only be Game 3 of the season and one week removed from a bye for them as well.

Road games, they have 2 Thursdays, 1 Monday, 0 Sundays, 1 Friday, and 6 Saturdays. So lots of Saturday games this year.

For back to back games vs. one team, they have three of them this year. Saskatchewan Week 8 and 9, Calgary Weeks 14 and 15, and Hamilton Weeks 17, 19 (with a bye in the middle).

First half is a bit heavier on Western opponents than last year with 5 of the first 8 being vs. the West and they have 3 in a row vs. the East Weeks 16-19.

Opponents they face 3x this year are Saskatchewan with the extra game played in Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg with the extra game in Edmonton.

[bone]

Some extra little details about byes and short rest weeks.

Teams that face an opponent on their bye. Montreal 4x, Ottawa 4x, Toronto 3x, Edmonton 3x, Calgary 3x, Hamilton 2x, Winnipeg 2x, Saskatchewan 3x (but twice they also are coming off a bye), and BC 2x (but both times they are coming off a bye). So BC once again never faces a team coming off a bye unless they are. Saskatchewan only once. 2 of the 3 BC vs Sask games , both teams will be coming off a bye.

Teams playing games on only 4 days off. BC x3, Edmonton 3x (though once it's both them and Calgary with the same), Calgary 3x (same as Edmonton though where once it's both teams), Winnipeg x2, Montreal x2 (but once it's both teams), Toronto x1, Ottawa x1, Saskatachewan x1 (though both teams are on short week). Hamilton never plays on 4 days rest.

Teams playing against teams that only had 4 days rest. Ottawa 3x (including twice when coming off a bye), Toronto 3x (including once after a bye), Calgary 3x (though once is both teams), Winnipeg 2x (including once coming off a bye), Saskatchewan 2x (but once is both teams), Montreal 2x (but once is both teams), Edmonton once (though both teams are on short week), Hamilton none, BC none.

Teams facing a team coming off a bye on 4 days rest, Edmonton once in Winnipeg, Montreal once in Ottawa, Calgary once in Toronto, Toronto once at home vs. Ottawa.

One nice add for Edmonton is that they've finally been given a bye going into Labour Day which many of us got annoyed about when they gave it to Calgary several years ago.

[Esks4ever]

I bet i'm in the minority but I hate weekend home games.

[bone]

Fajardo extended through 2026. While I'm not his biggest fan, I'm happy they got this done.

[bone]

The biggest quirk of all to the schedule is that Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton all get 10 home games this year and Toronto only gets 6.

[dealerd]

https://x.com/jdunk12/status/1998453887775170831?s=46
I am so excited that Cody comes back as our TRUE number 1

[dealerd]

The biggest quirk of all to the schedule is that Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton all get 10 home games this year and Toronto only gets 6.

Gotta keep the riders happy

[bone]

Gotta keep the riders happy

I'm sure the logic is travel distance for the Argos, so their three game opponents are the two closest teams, Ottawa and Hamilton, and both get the third game in the series at home. So then it's the closest 2 western teams. Frankly, I think it should have been Montreal and Winnipeg as the teams to get get both games vs. the Argos at home as this kind of gives Ottawa and Hamilton an advantage that Montreal doesn't get and Montreal is closer to Toronto than Sask.

Or maybe they based it on attendance as three of the top 4 teams for attendance last year are getting the extra game and giving it to BC would have made no sense for Toronto travel and time zone wise.

[Esks4ever]

Fajardo extended through 2026. While I'm not his biggest fan, I'm happy they got this done.

good news... however I hope they let one of the other QBs play a little we need to see what we have in the QB den.

There is zero reason for the back up to get no reps... even for a series or 2. No knock on cody but there was zero reason for him to play every minute of every game. Worst was we were down by a **** ton going into the 4th... zero reason for Cody to keep playing and risk a injury.