One veteran pending free agent every CFL team should kick to the curb in 2025

A new year is almost upon us and that means change is in the air.

People across the world will ring in 2025 by making resolutions and casting out old habits. CFL teams will do the same thing as they work through their pending free-agent lists and decide which players are best left in the past.

Not every decision will be an easy one and every franchise will say goodbye to some popular veterans in the name of self-improvement. For some, it will be the inevitable decline of age that makes them expendable, while others will just be salary cap casualties. All will be difficult for fans to watch walk out the door.

Here is one established veteran that every CFL team should let hit free agency in February.

B.C. Lions: DB T.J. Lee (A)

The longest-tenured member of the Lions, Lee feels like a Vancouver institution but even he seemed to understand that his days were numbered when addressing the media at the end of the season. The soon-to-be 36-year-old performed a remarkable feat in 2024 by rushing back in record time from a torn Achilles and put up good numbers after converting to strong-side linebacker. However, his move into the box was necessitated because he’s lost the range needed to be the dominant CFL halfback he was for over a decade. B.C. desperately needs to get younger, faster, and cheaper in the secondary and while fellow veteran Garry Peters can still claim to be near the top of his position, Lee simply cannot anymore.

Edmonton Elks: REC Eugene Lewis (A)

Undeniably the most controversial selection on this list, my concerns with Lewis have less to do with his performance and more to do with what he costs. The 31-year-old remains an elite receiver after going over 1,000 yards last season and was a worthy all-star as arguably Edmonton’s best player. That came at a ridiculous price tag of $320,000 though — far and away the highest amount commanded by any pass catcher despite no one actually believing Lewis is the best receiver in the CFL. He still deserves a good chunk of change but the Elks have glaring holes to shore up elsewhere, which should make their number one target expendable if he isn’t willing to take a substantial haircut.

Calgary Stampeders: DB Tre Roberson (A)

Once considered the best cornerback in the CFL, Roberson’s decline has been ongoing for several seasons at this point and reached new lows last year. Sure, his interception numbers went up to four — the second-highest of his career — but that is also an indication of teams feeling emboldened to throw in his direction. The 32-year-old’s handful of splash plays were interspersed with stretches where he looked out of place on the field. It is time for the Stamps to find some youth to lock down the field side.

Saskatchewan Roughriders: DT Anthony Lanier II (A)

Entering 2024, I would have argued with anybody that Lanier was among the CFL’s most underrated players and an elite pass-rushing threat. You simply can’t say the same after a dismal year that saw him miss significant time with injury and spend several games as a healthy scratch. Even when he was playing, the 31-year-old simply wasn’t anywhere near as productive as we’ve come to expect and was leapfrogged on the depth chart by several younger options. Lanier still has value because of his unique inside-outside versatility, but a change of scenery might be best for both parties.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: LB Adam Bighill (A)

How do you tell a future first-ball Hall of Famer that it’s time to step away? There is no easy answer to that question, but Winnipeg needs to figure it out. Bighill is still a more than serviceable CFL linebacker but at 36 years old, he’s no longer an elite defender. There’s no telling what he looks like coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2024 and frankly, the recently re-signed Tony Jones proved to be an upgrade in the middle once Biggie went down. Unless the three-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player is willing to take the type of pay cut that most legends would consider insulting, it is time for the Bombers to cajole him into taking an off-the-field role with the club.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: OL Joel Figueroa (A)

Things haven’t exactly gone as planned since the Ticats brought in Figueroa two seasons ago, as he played just five games in 2023 and only one last year due to injury. Thankfully for Hamilton, he took a substantial pay cut to stick around in 2024 but there is no sense in bringing the veteran back at 36 years old even if he played for the league minimum. The Ticats found a tremendous young left tackle in Brendan Bordner and have depth along the offensive line that doesn’t require the presence of an aging veteran.

Toronto Argonauts: OL Isiah Cage (A)

The Argos have a tremendous roster without a lot of fat to trim and Cage’s inclusion on this list isn’t an indictment of his performance on the field. In fact, when healthy, he has played well enough to deserve a raise but it may not be in Toronto’s best interest to give him one. The 31-year-old has regularly missed time with injury and Ryan Hunter played well when forced to slide outside down the stretch. With another young Canadian tackle, Sage Doxtater, finally on the roster, it may be worth it to make the position a ratio spot going forward.

Ottawa Redblacks: REC Jaelon Acklin (A)

Acklin is a very solid CFL receiver, putting up 739 yards and four touchdowns last season, but that’s exactly the problem. He was the 10th highest-paid pass catcher in the league last year but finished 22nd in receiving yards with a yawn-worthy 10.7 average per reception. The 29-year-old has seen his production decline every year since going over the 1,000-yard mark in 2022 and is far too expensive to be Ottawa’s third option going forward — or fourth if Kalil Pimpleton doesn’t land an NFL opportunity.

Montreal Alouettes: K David Cote (N)

The writing was on the wall for Cote once Montreal signed Global kicker Jose Maltos to a two-year extension earlier this offseason. After four seasons of inconsistent accuracy that ranked among the worst in the league, an unfortunate injury left the door open for the 28-year-old Canadian to be replaced by the Mexican national, who hit at a 91.7 percent clip. Even if Maltos isn’t a long-term solution, there are several young National specialists bouncing around the league that have a comparable skillset to Cote at a much cheaper price.

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