Toronto Argonauts’ head coach Ryan Dinwiddie took a parting shot at some of his former players in the lead-up to the 111th Grey Cup.
“We were talking about it today — some of the guys that left for 20 grand, I bet they’re regretting that decision,” the 43-year-old bench boss told the media following practice on Thursday.
The Argonauts had a historic 16-2 regular season in 2023, tying the CFL record for the most wins. However, in the aftermath of a shocking East Final loss to the underdog Montreal Alouettes, several of the team’s major contributors headed out the door in free agency.
A.J. Ouellette left for Saskatchewan to become the highest-paid American running back in the league. Strong-side linebacker Adarius Picket became the top dog at his position with the Ottawa Redblacks. Jamal Peters cashed in on a new deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to make him the best-compensated cornerback, taking defensive linemen Brandon Barlow and DeWayne Hendrix down the QEW with him. Big-legged kicker Boris Bede and all-star returner Javon Leake both took their talents to Edmonton in exchange for a hefty payday.
“We had a lot of holes to fill after free agency last year. Our younger guys did step up and then our new additions that we did bring over really stepped up,” Dinwiddie said. “I don’t think a lot of people saw Ka’Deem (Carey) having the type of year that he had.”
The Argos brought in Carey, Calgary’s former star back, to replace Ouellette at a discounted rate, which he rewarded with a thousand-yard campaign. His predecessor was limited to just eight regular season games with the Riders due to injury and set a new career-low with 4.2 yards per carry.
Toronto will return to the Grey Cup for the second team in three years on Sunday. None of the players who departed Toronto in free agency will have that opportunity and Dinwiddie believes they have a new generation of leaders in the building creating a Grey Cup culture. Rookies like Makai Polk, Derek Parish, Ralph Holley, Benjie Franklin, and Anthony Vandal have all risen into key roles down the stretch, getting the team into position for success.
“When you talk about continuity, that’s having veteran leaders but when they leave, you gotta have a younger guy step up,” Dinwiddie said. “Those guys went up from the leaders and the younger guys are now the new leaders, now you’ve got that flow of continuity. Happy for the new additions, happy for our veterans that have been around here.”
The Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet in the 111th Grey Cup at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 6:00 p.m. EST.
