CFL permanently publicizes negotiation lists

Courtesy: Thomas Skrlj/CFL.

The Canadian Football League has permanently publicized negotiation lists.

Teams can add any non-draft-eligible player with no previous CFL experience to their negotiation list, giving the club the player’s exclusive rights should they choose to come north. Draft-eligible players can also be added to the list if they go through a draft unselected. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.

Each team has 45 slots on their negotiation list, which have traditionally been kept strictly confidential. In recent years, teams were required to reveal 10 names from their list twice per year, though the selections were at the discretion of each club. In some instances, teams “unveiled” players who had been listed on previous announcements.

As of now, the CFL has chosen to permanently publicize the lists. All nine negotiation lists can be found here. They will each be updated daily as players are added and removed.

“We are focused on giving fans and media more opportunities to connect with our product in entertaining and meaningful ways,” said CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston in a statement. “By making the full negotiation lists public, fans now have visibility into who their favourite team’s next star could be, sparking discussion and debate, and providing insight into how CFL rosters are built.”

A few notable names featured on the lists, some of which have been previously announced or reported, include former NFL draft pick and XFL passing leader Ben DiNucci (B.C.), Canadian receiver Chase Claypool (Saskatchewan), third-round NFL draft pick Kellen Mond (Saskatchewan), first-round NFL draft pick Trey Lance (Saskatchewan), Canadian defensive back Sydney Brown (Toronto), former TCU standout quarterback Max Duggan (Toronto), and Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Toronto).