Put your computer models and statistical analysis away, the Toronto Argonauts believe there is still value in the running back position — at least when it comes to pending free agent A.J. Ouellette.
The 28-year-old bruiser is slated to hit the open market in February after notching his first career thousand-yard season in 2023 and is reportedly looking to hit the top of the running back pay scale. While ponying up big paycheques for star ball carriers has fallen out of style south of the border, Argos’ general manager Pinball Clemons doesn’t subscribe to the ‘running backs don’t matter’ theory popular in the analytics community.
“For me, a discussion around that I don’t think is fair. I’m a former running back and I wasn’t worth much but A.J. sure is,” Clemons joked to reporters during the CFL’s winter meetings.
“The whole talk about all of that, you look at players not only from a position standpoint; it is a value to your team. A running back on one team who has some very similar numbers may not be worth as much to that team as another player is to his team because of the importance of the role that he takes.”
Toronto has been unafraid of paying running backs in recent years, giving Canadian Andrew Harris the second-most of anyone at the position last year, despite him playing a reduced role. Ouellette earned nearly $114,000 himself as part of the number two ranked offence in the CFL, though the team’s financial situation has since changed dramatically.
The Argos are facing a cap crunch this offseason after making quarterback Chad Kelly the highest-paid player in the CFL and cuts will have to be made to the talented roster that went 16-2 last season. Harris’ massive contract will thankfully be off the books following his retirement, but there are legitimate questions about whether handing Ouellette his desired pay raise makes sense in the modern game.
Though Clemons admitted that Kelly’s contract, along with the team’s bevy of pending free agent all-stars, was making the salary cap more challenging this year, positional value won’t be the determining factor in who gets paid.
“It’s fooling around talking about the value. The value is based on the player’s impact on his team, how they use that player and how much a part of the offence, specifically in this case, revolves around him or he generates because of the attention that has to be put towards him,” he insisted.
“Players and position both matter, but the two are separate and distinct. We can’t just evaluate a running back. We have to say, ‘Who is this guy?’ Is it a guy that is a core guy, who dresses for 16 games on the regular? Or is it a guy that’s a little bit more banged up, a guy that has more injury challenges who might be a little less valuable? A little bit like I was in my first couple of years, getting banged up all the time.”
Ouellette suited up for 15 games in 2023 and earned a considerable amount of rest down the stretch after Toronto had already clinched first place in the East. The fourth-year man carried the ball 178 times for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns, finishing fourth in rushing and averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught 16 passes for 163 yards and two majors in his first season as a feature back.
Toronto has two capable young backups in Canadian Daniel Adeboboye, who averaged 7.0 yards per carry last year, and American Deonta McMahon if they wanted to cut costs, but recent history suggests they don’t need to. Each of the last four Grey Cup winners have had the league’s highest-paid running back on their roster, though that was the Canadian stalwart Harris on three occasions. The Montreal Alouettes proved it could work with an American in 2023, shelling out $160,000 in hard money for an underwhelming year from William Stanback.
Though the ratio-breaking Brady Oliveira will prevent him from becoming the CFL’s highest-paid rusher, that is the realm that Ouellette would like to be in. Though Pinball may not balk at that proposition given what the Ohio product contributes beyond just yardage, there are other priorities to address first. Contract talks with the fan favourite have been “very casual” to this stage and will need a few more dominos to fall before they pick up
“He’s obviously a culture guy in our locker room, everybody loves him,” Pinball explained. “There are a few things that we’re trying to accomplish early here and after we try to secure a few more of those things, we will then proceed forward with more serious negotiations with those core guys.”
CFL free agency will open at noon ET on Tuesday, February 13. The Argos are slated to begin their 2024 season on Sunday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET when they host the B.C. Lions.
