McDaniel latest let go by Stampeders due to salary cap concerns
It’s becoming increasingly obvious the Calgary Stampeders team that takes the field in 2018 is going to be considerably younger fromthe one that made it to the Grey Cup game last season.
On Friday morning, the Stampeders announced another veteran would be hitting free agency when they released receiver Marquay McDaniel, only a year after they signed the veteran to a twoyear deal reported to be in the $150,000-a-year range.
“This is a very difficult decision that was made necessary because of the realities of the salary cap system,” said Stampeders president and general manager John Hufnagel.
McDaniel joined the Stamps in 2011 and quickly became a key cog in the team’s offence and the preferred target of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
Through 93 regular season games with the Stampeders, the 33-year-old had 417 catches for 5,555 yards and was part of the Grey Cup-winning team in 2014.
The move came a day after offensive lineman Dan Federkeil retired and Hufnagel said running back Jerome Messam was told to explore his options in free agency.
Exactly one week earlier, the Stampeders shipped longtime defensive end Charleston Hughes to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who flipped him to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Calgary crew also saw veteran safety Josh Bell retire from playing to take a job as the team’s defensive backs coach.
And, oh yeah, there was the retirement of fullback Rob Cote a couple of weeks ago.
While the retirements were beyond the Stampeders’ control, both the Hughes trade and the decision to release McDaniel were made because of the restrictions of the CFL’s salary cap.
“Marquay has been an excellent player for us for the past six seasons and we owed him the opportunity to explore his options around the league prior to the start of free agency on Tuesday,” said Hufnagel. “We wish him the best of luck and would certainly welcome him back in the future if the circumstances were right for both sides.”
As constructed, and not including players who have yet to sign and could become free agents on Tuesday, there are only five players on the Stampeders roster who are 30 or older — punter Rob Maver, kicker Rene Paredes, third-string quarterback Ricky Stanzi and defensive backs Jamar Wall and Brandon Smith.
That doesn’t mean the Stampeders are launching a rebuild. They might be getting younger, but the players who are likely to step in for their departed teammates certainly seem capable of doing the job.
At defensive end, Ja’Gared Davis and Cordarro Law will likely fill in for Hughes, while James Vaughters showed he’s worthy of more playing time during his rookie season last year.
At safety, rookie Tunde Adeleke filled in impressively for Bell when called upon in 2017, while the Stampeders boast depth at receiver that should make the loss of McDaniel more bearable, even if Mitchell losing his favourite target figures to have consequences.
It was inevitable the Stamps were going to have to make some hard choices and unfortunately McDaniel was one of them.
This is a very difficult decision that was made necessary because of the realities of the salary cap system
As much as the Stampeders teams that made the 2016 and ’17 Grey Cup games were heavy on veteran talent, they also relied on first- and second-year players coming up big.
Now, those guys are due raises. The Stamps have already brought back Ciante Evans after two all-star seasons, and they needed to clear money if they hope to re-sign Campbell, kick returner Roy Finch and receiver DaVaris Daniels. Davis certainly falls under this category, as well. All those players are still growing and improving, and ensuring their return had to be the priority.
It’s disappointing to see proven veterans go, but there’s still plenty of leadership and talent in the Stampeders locker-room, enough to challenge for the West Division title again, for sure, especially if the likes of Finch, Daniels and Campbell are back in the mix.
These types of decisions are never easy, but they’re inevitable when you’re competing under a salary cap.
Whether the Stampeders made the right call with the way they dealt with each veteran won’t be clear until the end of the season.
Right now, one thing is for sure: The Stamps may have gotten younger, but that doesn’t mean the sky is falling.