Salary cap fears prompt Stamps to trade hughes
Longtime defensive stalwart winds up with Roughriders by way of Tiger-Cats
Charleston Hughes will be playing in Saskatchewan Roughriders colours this season.
On a day when the entire CFL seemed to go completely and utterly insane, the Stampeders traded one of their all-time greats to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, only to see him flipped back west a few hours later when the Ticats dealt Hughes to the Riders.
Forthe Stampeders, thedecision to move Hughes was based entirely on salary cap considerations. The 34-year-old defensive end was due a big salary in 2018 and with Ja’ Gared Davis and Cordarro Law available at the position, someone needed to be moved.
For Hughes, the Stamps received a 2019 fourth-round draft pick from the Ticats and the teams exchanged fourth round picks in the 2018 draft, with the Stamps getting the No. 28 pick and the Ticats now selecting at No. 34.
“It was a tough day at the office, no question about it,” said Stamps president/GM John Hufnagel. “Charleston has been a soldier for 10 years. He’s a big part of our winning ways, but it’ s the salary cap era that we’re in and I have depth at the defensive end position.
“A very, very difficult decision and we just tried to make the right choice. What’s the right choice, what’s the wrong choice? We couldn’t afford as many as we had and one had to go. It could have been one of the other two. Also, I expect them all to be on the field this year, obviously notin the same uniform, and at the end of the season, I would think that all three would be very close in the results they’ve gotten in terms of getting after the quarterback.”
For Hughes, who signed a deal to stay with the Stampeders last winter, the trade came as a shock.
Speaking to reporters after being traded to the Ticats but before getting dealt to the Riders, Hughes said he understood football is a business and knew one Stampeders defensive end wasn’t going to be back this season.
He just never expected it to be him.
“I knew there were going to be decisions that were going to be made, that was a stress the whole year, about cap and stuff,” Hughes said. “But based on how I play and what I bring to the table, I didn’t think I was going to be that player to be traded.”
While the reasons for trading Hughes are understandable, that doesn’t mean the loss won’t sting for the Stampeders and their fans.
Forget that he’s going to the rival Riders. Even if Hughes stayed with the Ticats, the Stamps still traded away a man who had become a face of the franchise.
After joining the team in 2008, Hughes played 162 games for the Stamps, including 15 in the playoffs. His numbers are staggering. Hughes recorded 372 defensive tackles, 38 special-teams tackles, three interceptions, 23 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and scored one touchdown.
Oh, and he happens to be tied with Will Johnson for the Stampeders’ all-time sack record, with 99 to his name.
“Will, you lucky,” Hughes said with a laugh. “No, to be even up there with him is an honour. I’m tied with the franchise record and to even have that is an accomplishment.”
Hughes’ legacy with the Stampeders extends far beyond his individual statistics. We’re talking about a player who was a key piece in one of the greatest eras in Stampeders history, even if it ended with less Grey Cups than it probably should have.
Hughes was part of teams that went to five Grey Cups — 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 — and won two. While other star players came and went, Hughes was a constant presence, always terrorizing opposing quarterbacks.
Yes, he’s 34, but there are few indications Hughes is slowing down. He led the CFL in sacks the past two seasons, after all.
“I’m not even close to thinking of retiring, I’m still at the top of my game,” Hughes said. “I just led the league in sacks back-to-back and I plan on doing it again.”
Asked whether he was upset about being traded, Hughes reiterated that he believed he is still able to play at an elite level.
“In my head, coming from me, why would you trade your best defensive lineman?” Hughes asked. “I still feel like I’m the best defensive end in this league. I feel like Hamilton( now Saskatchewan) has picked up the best defensive end in the league and, like I said, I will lead the league in sacks next year.”