With Mike Reilly set to leave, Esks president Len Rhodes finds the door

With franchise quarterback Mike Reilly seemingly poised to make an exit from the Edmonton Eskimos, president Len Rhodes has decided it is time for him to go as well.

The Eskimos announced Monday that Rhodes won’t be seeking another term as the team’s president and chief executive officer, officially leaving the CFL club on Feb. 20, nine days from now.

Meanwhile, CFL free agency is set to begin on Feb. 12 with Reilly as one of the top targets. He’s expected to join the B.C. Lions where former Esks general manager Ed Hervey now fills that role for the Lions. Rhodes unexpectedly fired Hervey in April of 2017 and replaced him with Brock Sunderland.

Rhodes said he wants to “pursue other opportunities.”

“This (2019) was scheduled to be the final year of my Eskimos contract. Through the course of several recent conversations, it became clear to me that I want to pursue other opportunities. The board and I felt it would be best if I left the organization now rather than at the end of 2019 to allow the football club to establish a plan to move forward. I will forever cherish my experience with this community-owned organization.”

Rhodes spent seven seasons with Edmonton during which the team posted a 68-58 record and appeared in 12 playoff games. They won the 2015 Grey Cup – with Reilly at the controls.