What's the Ottawa Redblacks game plan a month before the CFL's 2025 free agent period
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On Monday, Ottawa Redblacks GM Shawn Burke hustled to get from snowy Ottawa to a late-night arrival at the CFL’s winter meetings in Charlotte, N.C.
“I had one of those crazy travel days that turned into three flights to get down here, but we got here,” Burke told media members in a Zoom call the following morning. “And if anyone can get video of me running through LaGuardia Airport, I’m sure it will be a funny video for all of you.”
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The following is an edited version of his conversation with reporters — mixed in with some interpretation — less than a month before the start of free agency.
Note: Following the call with Burke, the club announced it had re-signed 34-year-old Canadian DL Cleyon Laing to a two-season extension and traded a conditional fifth-round pick and a negotiation list player to Toronto for RB Daniel Adeboboye, a 25-year-old from Mississauga who in 2024 had his second straight productive season with 63 carries for 244 yards, six catches for 40 yards and was a key contributor for the Grey Cup-winning Argos.
Knowing you’ll re-sign more players between now and then, what’s the game plan for free agency as of Jan. 14?
SB: “We were very intentional last year with getting guys that can make a difference and provide something we were lacking, so definitely, we want to be looking for difference-makers. I don’t see us being completely overly active. I do think we’ve got a lot of building blocks here.”
-The Redblacks’ market grabs during the winter of ’24 were LB Adarius Pickett, QB Dru Brown (who they acquired the negotiating rights to in a trade with Winnipeg) and OG Dariusz Bladek. Brown and Bladek are under contract. Pickett, very much a difference-maker, is not. What happens with him before now and Feb. 11 will determine what type of difference-maker they can afford this winter.
Where are the talks with Pickett as he rehabs from a season-ending Achilles injury?
“It’s always a bit interesting with injuries from the standpoint that we never want to rush a guy back. A player has to be ready, physically and mentally when they come back, so we’re working through that. I’ve talked to Adarius a few times this off-season, talking to his agent actively, so it’s ongoing and continuous to see if we can get a deal done before free agency.”
-As a big-time leader as well as one of the CFL’s best players, Pickett will draw a healthy paycheque next year. The Redblacks want to make sure he’s healthy before they offer him one.
What about conversations with Justin Hardy?
“Very good. We’re actively conversing, talking to Justin’s agents. Justin deserves to see what his market is and they’re probably exploring that. At the end of the day, we want him to be a Redblack. What he does and what he brings to an organization, and his professionalism, it’s definitely a priority for us that we’re hoping to get done sooner rather than later.”
-There’s little concern here that Hardy — who was second in league receiving with 1,343 yards and the team’s most outstanding player nominee — turned 33 last month. Redblacks are waiting for his agent to find out what other teams will offer before deciding if they can match. Unless it’s an outrageous number, they will.
Do you want to bring Jeremiah Masoli and Dustin Crum back as backups to Dru Brown?
“We’re speaking with both of them, as we are with all our free agents. I think when you get into this week and next week, it really crystallizes what’s going to happen in free agency and who’s going to hit the market. All these guys want to play football and want to be starters. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be playing. So I think they’re looking at the situations around the league and we’ll continue to converse. We’ll be prepared for whatever is to happen.”
-Just a hunch, but with Tyrie Adams already signed as a backup to Brown, the 36-year-old Masoli will find somewhere he can either start or have a clearer path to the No. 1 job. Crum will be back and the Redblacks will find try to add another vet.
There are reports that Kalil (The Thrill) Pimpleton has had four NFL tryouts. Do you expect him back?
“I feel confident that Khalil is going to be back with us. He still has a little bit of time with his window, but he’s been very straightforward with us that unless the opportunity completely worked for him, from a financial and fit standpoint, he’s excited to be back next season.”
-In just eight games as a rookie, the 26-year-old proved he can be one of the most exciting receivers and returners in the league. In 2025, he’ll be a starter in Ottawa from Day 1. In 2026, he’ll be in the NFL.
Can you re-sign DB Damon Webb, who was an East Division all-star in his fourth year?
“I’ve talked with him. He had a great season for us, he’s a playmaker. You got to bring everything together and make everything work, and when you have a more successful season, your guys usually are sought after a little more, and the finances go up a bit. I’m sure eight other GMs are saying the exact same thing about free-agency questions right now. You’re just trying to put all the pieces together. Ultimately, we’re not going to have the same team, but we are actively talking to many of our free agents right now, including him.”
-Another hunch: Webb will play elsewhere next season.
Can you have two good American running backs, William Stanback and Devonte Williams, on the roster at the same time?
“You just have to make choices at the end of the day. Coach (Bob) Dyce is given the roster during the season to make decisions. We talk about it weekly and you have to be open-minded going into the year. So definitely, I think if we wanted to, we could, it’s all about making the choices of how the roster shapes down after that.”
-The Redblacks’ running game suffered after they were forced to trade Ryquell Armstead to Saskatchewan. They may be overcompensating, but the Ottawa ground attack should be a weapon in 2025.
After four abysmal years, the Redblacks made the playoffs in 2024 with a 9-8-1 record that included a league-best 7-1-1 mark at home. Has the franchise turned the corner?
“I don’t look at turning the corner. I look at each year as a different year as its own entity. But at the same time, you want to reward internally, meaning our players, our coaches, our organization. I don’t take it lightly that everyone talks about the coaches and GM and scouts and everything, but 100-plus employees at OSEG have worked through all these years and deserve to be rewarded.
“There’s also the fan base. To be able to put our home record together last year and play like that in front of our home crowd, I felt it was rewarding to them. We don’t deny what we want to be — a fast, physical football team that makes Ottawa a tough place to play, and we’re excited to put an exciting product on the field. We know that’s what our fan base wants, and we’ll just continue to work hard to work on the guys that aren’t back. We invite them to come to our games.
“Beyond the team on the field, I believe our facility and our game day experience is second to none.”
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