If the wooing of future Hall of Fame quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell hadn’t already started, it certainly has now as the Ticats posted images of the man they hope will be their new franchise quarterback in a place all the city could see.
The Tiger-Cats held their annual locker room sale on Saturday morning and an eagle-eyed fan took notice of the jumbotron in the north end zone at Tim Hortons Field. The screen featured a photoshopped image of Mitchell in a Ticats uniform with the words “Welcome to Hamilton” emblazoned beside.
The team also posted a sign on the screens near the main entrance to the club level welcoming Mitchell and his wife, Madison, to the facility.
The Tiger-Cats traded for the rights to the two-time Most Outstanding Player back in November in the hopes that he could be the quarterback to lead them to their first Grey Cup championship since 1999.
The Ticats finished 8-10 in 2022 and lost to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Semi-Final on Sunday, Nov. 5. They acquired Mitchell’s rights just nine days later.
Dane Evans, the Ticats’ starting quarterback for the majority of the 2022 season and the team’s starter in their last two Grey Cup appearances, appeared to say farewell to the city in an Instagram post last month.
Bo has made it clear that he plans to test free agency despite Hamilton trading for his rights. The two-time Grey Cup champion has also made it known that he wants to play in a location that “cares about football” with Saskatchewan likely serving as another possible destination for him to sign. Free agency officially gets underway on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
If the club posted these images around Tim Hortons Field on a day they knew fans would be around with the goal of generating some buzz, then mission accomplished.
Whether it works out and the team will be able to get Mitchell under contract for 2023 and beyond remains to be seen.
