Riders GM O’Day hoping to be ‘a little less active’ during 2025 free agency

The Saskatchewan Roughriders find themselves in a different position heading into the CFL’s free agency communication window this year.

Back in 2023, the team was looking for a new quarterback and revamped offence after missing out on the postseason.

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Last year, Corey Mace was brought in as a first-year head coach as the team looked to build the foundation for a new era.

Now, Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day said the team was able to focus more on bringing back their pending free agents rather than trying to bring a lot of new faces in.

“Last year we were just getting our coaching staff in place and going through and evaluating the free agents and any roster adjustments or changes we needed to improve on with the new staff. This year, the staff’s in place and a lot of the free agents we signed last year are currently still with us, or we re-signed,” said O’Day, who is currently in Dallas for the East-West Shrine Game.

“Just a different situation. We took a step forward in the season, which hopefully leads us to having more continuity going into the season and being a little less active going into free agency.”

The communication window in this year’s free agency period opens on Sunday and runs until February 9. This allows general managers to begin to work out contracts with other teams’ pending free agents.

“If a player goes to the window, there could be a number of different reasons. If a player feels like he’s going to have more value than what you offered or didn’t offer, then he will go to the window,” O’Day explained.

“I think last year we signed a couple of our guys back in the window. We have an idea when we are going through it if the player is going to the window, what the likelihood is we could get him back.”

One player who the Riders don’t need to wait to negotiate with is former Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Mike Rose, who was released by the Stamps earlier this week.

“Just like any time there’s a good football player that’s released from another team, we will always do our due diligence and have conversations about whether we will have interest in that player or not,” O’Day said.

“A lot of respect for Mike Rose as a player. He has had a lot of success in our league and has been a multiple time all-star and has a bit of history with our head coach as well.”

O’Day said he believes a team can turn its fortunes around in free agency, if it plays its cards correctly.

“You can quite drastically change your team within a season in free agency if that’s the plan,” O’Day said.

“We were very active last year and we have a lot of those guys still under contract, which is great. We’re going to do everything we can to try to improve our team if there are areas that we can, but also within the restrictions of the salary cap we have to abide by.”

The Riders still have 20 pending free agents ahead of the Feb. 11 opening of free agency. That list includes defensive back Marcus Sayles, defensive tackle Micah Johnson and centre Peter Godber.

“There are probably three different categories – there are some that we have offered contracts to and still have offers out there that we are still working on. There are some players we may still offer. There are some players we probably won’t offer,” O’Day said.

“When I say that, that can change as well, because you’re going into free agency and if that player doesn’t get the opportunities they feel they have, then maybe we have a conversation.”