‘I don’t know any superstar players in the CFL’: Ed Hervey did not care to talk with Geno Lewis through Elks’ free agent process

Courtesy: Edmonton Elks

Edmonton Elks’ general manager Ed Hervey confirmed Geno Lewis’ public accusation that he did not communicate with the veteran receiver at all through the free agent process.

“I’m not going to go on a rant, I’m going to answer you as quickly as I possibly can: I spoke to his agent and that was it. I was focused on the guys that we wanted in Edmonton. That’s it,” Hervey said.

“He plays for another team, he should be happy being somewhere else and that’s it. I don’t think that I need to make any more comments about Geno Lewis and whether I talked to him or not. To me, if I were in his shoes, I’d move on, that’s what I’ve done.”

Hervey delivered an impassioned rant during the CFL’s winter meetings, indicating he would not pay the then-pending free agent Lewis anywhere close to the $320,000 he earned in 2024 with the Green and Gold. The former star pass catcher stated he had no existing relationship with Lewis and would not make an offer for his services until an appropriate value was set by the open market.

“The players that we wanted, we have. That’s really it. You’re trying to spark this up and [if] we want to make this into something, we sure can, but I don’t feel like I want to go down that road. I woke up on the right side of the bed today, so I’m in quite a good mood,” Hervey said.

“To be honest with you, the reality is that he’s playing for a team that really, really wanted him. We’re a team that wanted to go in a different direction, we had other pressing needs and that’s really it. I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t even know why this has grown into anything.”

The 31-year-old Lewis was taken aback by Hervey’s public comments during the winter meetings. The three-time CFL all-star believes he’s a “superstar player in the league” and stated he felt it was “not smart” for Edmonton’s GM to decide against communicating with him.

“I don’t know any superstar players in the CFL,” Hervey said flatly. “If guys feel they’re a superstar, fantastic. I’m not really into guys’ personal feelings about themselves. That’s not where I go. That’s not the road I go down.”

“I don’t know him, I haven’t talked to him, and quite honestly, don’t plan to talk to him. I’m quite happy with what we’re doing in Edmonton. Looking at what we’ve done with our roster and the guys that we have going forward, I feel really good about what we’re doing in Edmonton and the players that we have.”

Public comments made by Lewis or anyone else do not bother Hervey. He was born in Houston, Tex. and later moved to California, attending Compton High School. The six-foot-two, 195-pound dual-sport athlete excelled on the football field and track.

“I’m not a politician. You know me, over the years, comments — stick and stones — that stuff… I was raised on moving forward and lift your head. You don’t really listen to the loud voices that are out there, you press forward. My feelings don’t get hurt, so talk to him,” Hervey said.

Lewis signed a two-year contract with the Redblacks worth $223,000 in hard money for the 2025 season in Ottawa. That’s a $97,000 reduction from what he earned last season in the Alberta capital. Meanwhile, the Elks allotted some salary cap savings from Lewis to other positions in a roster remake.

“Looking at who we were able to bring in, there’s not a player on our list that we would want to move on from. When we looked at our roster, I thought there’s not a player that I’m looking at thinking: ‘Man, I wish we went the other direction,'” Hervey said referring to potentially swapping Lewis in for another player.

Ottawa travels to Edmonton in Week 5 for a matchup on Sunday, July 6. Many eyes will be focused on Hervey and Lewis during pre-game warmups and post-game handshakes.