Ottawa Redblacks add two quarterbacks to negotiation list

Photo: Coastal Carolina Athletics

The Ottawa Redblacks have claimed the rights to American quarterbacks Deuce Bailey and Lincoln Kienholz. The moves were reflected on the CFL’s official tracker on Tuesday.

Bailey is a redshirt freshman at Coastal Carolina University. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s season-opening 31-24 loss to West Virginia on Saturday.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound native of Bowling Green, Ky. played at Missouri State in 2025, where he threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman. He also rushed 27 times for 81 yards and one score.

Kienholz is a redshirt junior at the University of Louisville. He threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 14 times for 69 yards and one score in the team’s recent season-opening 41-38 loss to Ole Miss.

The six-foot-two, 215-pound native of Pierre, S.D. spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Ohio State University, where he threw for 250 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. He did not make any starts for the Buckeyes.

CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and do not have CFL veteran status. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.

Being added to a negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and some are unaware that their rights have even been claimed. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.

In a corresponding move, the Redblacks dropped the rights to American quarterback Evan Simon.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-11) will visit the Toronto Argonauts (6-6) at BMO Field on Saturday, September 12 with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Redblacks were on bye while the Argonauts won the season series against Hamilton with a 37-22 victory in the Labour Day Classic.

The weather forecast in Toronto calls for a high of 24 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa or TSN 1050 in Toronto.