Rogers wants to stay with Redblacks, but not for hometown discount
Potentially a free agent in a bit more than a month, SirVincent Rogers made it clear over the phone on Friday he wants to remain an Ottawa Redblack.
During exit meetings after the team lost 27-16 to the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup game in late November, the 32-year-old all-star offensive lineman told the Redblacks he wanted to come back and they told him they wanted him back. Sounds like a recipe for a new contract.
Except for this: Rogers, who played in Ottawa for four seasons after leaving the Toronto Argos as a free agent, doesn’t think much of hometown discounts.
“I don’t think you can get into that hometown discount,” said Rogers, who will be one of 24 players from the Redblacks’ 2018 roster eligible for free agency on Feb. 12. “Over my career, year after year I’ve been trying to prove I’m among the best, if not the best at my position (left tackle). If you do that, the money takes care of itself. Guys know what they deserve, organizations know that, too.
“I know it’s a tough job trying to figure out how to pay everybody to get all the players you want. That’s not a decision I have to make, it’s a decision the Redblacks have to make.”
As a point of reference, Calgary Stampeders star left tackle Derek Dennis was reportedly making $180,000 last season. It’s not unreasonable to think Rogers would want something between $150,000 and $180,000 per season in a new contract. The Redblacks may look at his age as a factor, or maybe they just don’t want to pay that kind of money to a guy who in 2015 was voted the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman while protecting quarterback Henry Burris’ blind side.
“I’m one of the best, I figure I’m top two, top three at my position (with Dennis and Stanley Bryant),” Rogers said. “There were some statistics that came out and we were pretty identical. I’ve gone on record as saying I thought they both had a good year (Bryant was named the 2018 most outstanding offensive lineman), I thought Derek had a better year. I guess I was wrong on that — our stats were all identical.
“The way I look at it is my agent’s going to handle the negotiation. I feel like I’ve done everything I can do as far as my play on the field and with my leadership. I think I’ve been a big part of our success; hopefully everybody sees that. It’s hard for (the Redblacks) to figure out what a player’s worth is. It gets tricky. I try not to get caught up in that, I try to let my agent handle that.”
Rogers said he’s felt welcome in Ottawa the past four years and really hopes it works out. With Rogers, the team got to the Grey Cup in 2015 (losing to Edmonton), won the Grey Cup in 2016 (over Calgary) and lost the 2018 Grey Cup to Calgary.
“I’m very hopeful I’m back in a Redblacks uniform,” he said. “I’m healthy, I’m in a good place as far as where I am as a player. There’s a mutual respect. We’ve had a lot of success since I’ve been with the Redblacks. Hopefully we can get to a reasonable number for both of us and get this out of the way.
“It’s one of those things that reminds you there’s a business side to playing pro sports. There are relationships that are built, but at some point you have to go back to the business side of things. Organizations have to do what’s best for themselves and players have to do what’s best for themselves.”
The lack of a collective bargaining agreement for the 2019 CFL season adds a cloud of uncertainty to the mix. Some players are holding off on signing contracts in the hope there is a substantial boost to the league’s 2018 salary cap of $5.2 million per team.
“It is tricky,” said Rogers. “Nobody really knows what will happen with the salary cap and what’s going to happen with the CBA. The approach I’m going to take is I’m paying an agent a percentage to worry about these things so I can have my off-season to myself. I’m not stressing.
“You’d like to see the base (minimum) salary go up. I was a guy who came into the league and the minimum was like $46,000. I remember how tough it was. It’s tough for guys trying to care of themselves and a family on such a low salary.
“They should also focus on how you’re taking care of the players. You hear about players who are done with the game that have sustained injuries that will affect them for the long run after they’re done taking reps on the field. You’d like to see some aid for players who are dealing with different physical ailments when they’re done playing the game.”