Sinopoli wants to stay with Redblacks
With a contract that expires following this CFL season, all-star receiver Brad Sinopoli said he’d like to stay in Ottawa with the Redblacks.
But that doesn’t mean the former star quarterback with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, who’s from Peterborough, is going to give the Redblacks a “hometown discount.”
He’ll be looking for market value. And for a guy who had four straight 1,000-yard seasons going into what’s been a 2019 disappointment for Sinopoli and for the team, that will mean the Redblacks will likely have to dish out big dollars. Sinopoli earns $190,000 this season.
“You’re in the business of football,” Sinopoli said. “It’s nice that I have ties here in Ottawa and I’m able to play here. But at the end of the day as a player, you have a very short career and you want to get the most you can out of it. I don’t think for anyone there’s such a thing (as a hometown discount).
“I love this place, I love Ottawa. Through the experiences, you build something up — connections and ties. I love playing here, I love the fans I meet, I love the ownership group. The coaches, the GM — there’s consistency. This is the place I want to be. I’m hoping they want me here. We’ll see.”
Asked if he was already talking to the Redblacks, he said: “We’ve never talked about this stuff in season. I’m under contract now, so I worry about playing. There’s lot of time in the off-season to talk about (a new contract).”
The Redblacks can’t afford to swing and miss on this one. The fans haven’t forgotten the ones who got away. The free-agent losses of quarterback Trevor Harris, receiver Greg Ellingson, running back William Powell and offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers leading into this season stung.
The optics of losing Sinopoli, named the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian in 2018, would be horrible. After signing with Ottawa in 2015, the 31-year-old had seasons of 1,035, 1,036, 1,009 and 1,376 yards. He’s been a huge factor in the success of a team that went to three out of four Grey Cups from 2015 to 2018.
“He’s one of the core players we envision being here next year and beyond that,” Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins said.
The veteran receiver hasn’t put up the big stats this season, something that’s tied into the ineffectiveness of the team’s quarterbacks and the offence as a whole. With three games to go, Sinopoli is unlikely to put together his fifth straight 1,000-yard season. He has 525 yards on 56 catches.