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11:59 p.m. EST — Well, it would appear this year’s free agent frenzy is officially over. Please join us again next year and stay tuned to 3DownNation for all that’s still to come later this week.
7:27 p.m. EST — We appear to have reached an early evening lull. Your correspondent will use this as an opportunity to stretch and drink some water and, if you’ve been following along for 12 hours now, suggests you do the same.
7:12 p.m. EST — The communications team in Hamilton has finally woken up! The Tiger-Cats have officially confirmed the signing of Jamal Peters, who was dominant at cornerback with the Argonauts this past season. It seems fair to speculate that the team will confirm other signings shortly, including Brandon Barlow and Dewayne Hendrix.
6:25 p.m. EST — Hamilton has signed Canadian receiver Luther Hakunavanhu away from the Calgary Stampeders, according to 3DownNation reporter John Hodge. The deal includes almost $250,000 in hard money over two years.
5:59 p.m. EST — Three-time all-star defensive tackle Dylan Wynn has been spotted at the Montreal airport, according to Justin Dunk. Could he be signing with the Alouettes?
5:53 p.m. EST — Legendary CFL quarterback Ken Ploen has passed away at the age of 88, the Blue Bombers have announced. The four-time Grey Cup champion was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975.
5:29 p.m. EST — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed Canadian fullback James Tuck, according to 3DownNation reporter John Hodge. The 33-year-old won his first Grey Cup as a member of the Montreal Alouettes this past season.
5:18 p.m. EST — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the only club that’s yet to acquire a player who was on a different CFL team’s roster in 2023. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are leading the way with seven.
5:09 p.m. EST — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats remain extremely quiet, having only confirmed the re-signing of receiver Terry Godwin II so far. The club reportedly agreed to terms with three big-name defensive players during the recent communications window — Brandon Barlow, Dewayne Hendrix, and Jamal Peters — but has not yet made the signings official.
5:02 p.m. EST — Our top two pending free agents, receiver Tim White and defensive lineman A.C. Leonard, are both still without deals. As per 3DownNation’s John Hodge, there doesn’t appear to be anything imminent on Leonard.
4:55 p.m. EST — Andrew Harris plans to keep supporting former teammate and friend A.J. Ouellette even after he signed with the Riders, commenting “Can’t believe I’m gonna be buying a Sask jersey” on Instagram. The pair won a Grey Cup together sharing the backfield in Toronto in 2022.
4:30 p.m. EST — 3DownNation contributor Ryan Ballantine says Calgary Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson heard from Bo Levi Mitchell after the Stamps agreed to terms with quarterback Matthew Shiltz and had “good things” to say. Mitchell and Shiltz were teammates this past season in Hamilton.
3:10 p.m. EST — It isn’t easy being a veteran American pass rusher these days. Shawn Oakman, Dylan Wynn, Almondo Sewell, A.C. Leonard, Ja’Gared Davis and Woody Baron are all unsigned as we head into hour three.
2:39 p.m. EST — The Argonauts have finally confirmed the addition of Canadian defensive back Tunde Adeleke, but also added linebacker Fraser Sopik. That’s a big bump of homegrown talent for the Boatmen.
2:29 p.m. EST — We’ve hit a bit of a lull in the action, so make sure you check out our updated free agency tracker for a complete overview of everything your team has done.
1:46 p.m. EST — Yoshi is back in Green! The Riders have confirmed the signing of all-star right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, causing a sigh of relief across Regina. After previously playing for the team in 2015, the veteran Bomber trudges back across the prairies to solve all of Saskatchewan’s protection issues.
1:29 p.m. EST — The Montreal Alouettes have officially signed American receiver Tevin Jones. The former Rider showed some flashes in Saskatchewan, but he has huge shoes to fill with the departure of Austin Mack to the NFL.
1:17 p.m. EST — Veteran Canadian receiver Jake Harty is headed to the B.C. Lions, according to Justin Dunk. Every bit of depth matters with Justin McInnis and Jevon Cottoy both expected to start next year.
12:44 p.m. EST — The B.C. Lions have a new short-yardage QB, as Farhan Lalji is reporting that they are adding Dakota Prukop from Winnipeg. Jake Dolegala and Taylor Cornelius are still on the board.
12:40 p.m. EST — One player who won’t be going to Calgary for the moment: defensive tackle Ricky Walker. Despite agreeing to terms with the Stampeders during the negotiation window, John Hodge is now reporting that he is holding off on signing as he mulls his future.
12:16 p.m. EST — The Argos are beefing up their special teams with the signing of Canadian defensive back Kerfalla Exume, according to Justin Dunk. The 29-year-old has 63 career special teams tackles in 64 career games.
12:05 p.m. EST — And the biggest fish in free agency is off the market! Canadian defensive end Mathieu Betts is headed to the Lions — the Detroit Lions, that is. According to our own Justin Dunk, the CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player will get his NFL shot at 29 years old.
12:01 p.m. EST — If you need a refresher on everything that has happened to this point, check out our full free agency tracker right here.
11:22 a.m. EST — For once, there appears to be a free agency backlog amongst starting calibre Canadian offensive linemen. Landon Rice, Ryan Sceviour, Geoff Gray, Sean Jamieson, Evan Johnson, Kyle Saxelid and Hunter Steward are just some of the names available.
11:00 a.m. EST — The start of free agency is officially one hour away!
10:48 a.m. EST — The top quarterbacks available — Dru Brown, Chris Streveler, and Matthew Shiltz — are already accounted for, but Jake Dolegala and Taylor Cornelius are both available. The B.C. Lions have said they want to add a backup with CFL experience following the retirement of Dane Evans. Will they add Dolegala or Cornelius?
10:16 a.m. EST — The Montreal Alouettes have called a press conference for 3:00 p.m. EST, only three hours after free agency gets underway. It seems fair to speculate that the defending Grey Cup champions don’t expect to be very busy today.
10:11 a.m. EST — In non-free agency news, Historica Canada released a new Heritage Minute about Normie Kwong, the four-time Grey Cup champion and West Division all-star who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta before passing away in 2016 at 86. It’s the first CFL video the organization has produced.
10:00 a.m. EST — We are officially two hours away from the start of free agency! Don’t forget to check out our free agency tracker and top 50 free agent list while you’re waiting for the action to get underway.
9:55 a.m. EST — Pending free agent linebacker Simoni Lawrence took to social media late last night to post, “Always love they can feel that.” Has the five-time East Division all-star played his final game in Steeltown?
9:41 a.m. EST — A.J. Ouellette has now shared Saskatchewan’s hype video on social media with the caption, “The Thunder, for I am not afraid of the storm — I am the storm.” This guy is clearly going to be a star in Riderville.
9:28 a.m. EST — 3DownNation’s John Hodge expects pending free agent kicker Sergio Castillo to remain with the Blue Bombers. The only logical landing spot outside of Winnipeg would be Montreal, though the Alouettes already paid David Côté a $10,500 off-season roster bonus earlier this month.
8:58 a.m. EST — The deepest position in free agency appears to be along the defensive line with three ranked in the top six and five in the top 17. 3DownNation’s John Hodge believes A.C. Leonard will most likely return to Edmonton on a one-year deal, though a move to the East Division isn’t out of the question.
8:35 a.m. EST — Your correspondent needs to take the dog for a quick walk around the block. Here’s hoping nothing crazy happens until he gets back.
8:22 a.m. EST — Three-time all-star defensive tackle Dylan Wynn has said farewell to Hamilton on his Instagram page after four seasons with the Tiger-Cats. Where will he end up today?
8:00 a.m. EST — 3DownNation has unveiled its top 50 pending free agents! This list doesn’t include players who have recently re-signed with their clubs, agreed to terms with a new team, or retired — it’s only the top players who are actually available.
7:52 a.m. EST — Coffee. Coffee. So much coffee.
7:46 a.m. EST — Don’t forget to check out the 3DownNation free agency tracker. We’ve got every extension, signing, retirement, and release listed from each club, making it a handy one-stop shop for any transactions you may have missed or forgotten about.
7:40 a.m. EST — There are plenty of talented players set to hit the open market later today, but some are already available after being released in recent days. RB Shannon Brooks (Edmonton), REC Nate Behar (Ottawa), REC Jake Wieneke (Saskatchewan), DL Woody Baron (B.C.), DL Almondo Sewell (Montreal), and DB Quincy Mauger (B.C.) should all receive at least some level of interest from teams around the league.
7:30 a.m. EST — Pending free agents were able to negotiate with teams across the league during last week’s “legal tampering” window and several agreements were reached, though they can’t be officially signed until free agency gets underway at 12:00 p.m. EST.
Welcome to the 3DownNation 2024 CFL free agency live blog!
We will be around all day to provide the latest news, insight, analysis, and rumours surrounding CFL free agency. We’ve done many live blogs in the past and we’re excited you’ve chosen to join us for this year’s edition. There’s lots of fun to be had over the next 12-plus hours, so let’s get rocking.