Quarterback Roulette in Saskatchewan and the CFL
Well it seems CFL teams definitely got the message from Commissioner Randy Ambrosie to put some thought into making the off-season interesting for fans and sports observers.
One of the interesting questions was how quarterbacking situations would change and develop around the league this off-season. The defending Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts kicked things off with a trade with the Edmonton Eskimos for back-up James Franklin who was looking at exploring free agency and a possible starting position elsewhere.
With Toronto already having Ricky Ray who is going to be a potential free agent in February, the Argos rolled the dice being able to sign Franklin to a contract where he might not be the obvious starter if Ray comes back. The trick to all of this is Ray’s health, especially behind Toronto’s offensive line, and the news Thursday that Franklin has apparently signed a two year contract is interesting on a number of levels.
First it raises questions as to whether Ray will be coming back, after capping his year with a Grey Cup win and thinking about riding into the sunset like Henry Burris did with Ottawa in 2016. If Ray does come back, it may be more in a mentoring fashion which makes sense if Ray wants to extend his career, but not necessarily take all the physical abuse that would come with a full time starters position.