1963 Free Agency Part 2

1963 Free Agency Part 2

Trade Rundown
The offseason kicked off with a simple trade that would clear some cap space for the Thunder. They would flip DL Clyde Dale to Providence (the team that originally drafted him) for a depth OL in Allen Boyd. Providence got the better player, but it was a necessary move for the Thunder. 

The next trade would be Indiana sending S Gilbert Lopez to the Independents for young WR Otto Washington. Both teams have a lot of players at each position and decided to swap and let other young talents get a shot.

Now for one of the most shocking trades, though not for the reasons that may be expected. The Lyle Painter era in Long Island has officially come to an end as the team has sent him to Indiana. With the other talent the Raiders have brought in at QB, most notably former Indiana QB Stanley Troyer, they didn’t need the struggling QB. Painter’s $36,000 cap hit also wasn’t desirable. In the end, the most surprising part of the trade is what they got back for the former 1st Overall Pick. The Victors only had to give up a 1964 4th rounder and former 4th round pick OL Terrence Patterson. In the end, the Raiders didn’t have a lot of bargaining power and were desperate to get rid of him at this point. 

Despite the low return, the Raiders got from the Painter trade, they were able to get some value elsewhere with a big 5-player trade with the Halifax Mariners. They would acquire young S Eric Willis and RB Bernard Alston. Willis is the main prize with the potential to be a long-term solution at S. Alston is mainly for depth in the backfield. Halifax would receive S Johan Eckhart, WR LeRoy Krueger, DL Martin Garfield, and a 1954 4th rounder. The 3 players will be great for the Mariners to fill out their roster with veteran depth and leadership as they slowly rebuild the team. 

The last of the major moves the Raiders made was sending long-time DB Clinton Gates to Boston for a 2nd round pick, LB Cornelius Mayo, and a 5th round pick. Boston gets the opportunity to round out their secondary with a veteran DB with the move. Boston might have a lot more support for their LB core this season. As for Long Island, they certainly gain a youth and draft capital for their small rebuild. 

The final trade of the offseason would be Boston sending TE Wayne Bruce to Montreal for a 5th round pick. 

Free Agency Recap
Beyond the trades, there were plenty of other players joining new teams. Going down the list QB Oscar Rigano would land in Boston to backup QB Nathaniel Braddock. He did have an offer from his original team of Montreal but desired a fresh start. DB Dennis Kirchner would aim for more playing time in Halifax and will slot in as the team’s #3 DB. There were plenty of WRs available for teams to bring in. The most interesting was WR Trig Jegman, as it appeared a lot of teams were avoiding him due to lots of talk about bad character issues. In the end, only Montreal would be willing to take a chance on the risky pickup. If he stays in line, the Rouge could have a great depth piece in the WR core, but if he continues to have issues, then it could become a distraction. As for the others, Angus Stevenson would head to Providence, Ronald Vernon went back to Boston, and Frederick St. Pierre would land closer to home in Ottawa. The other young WR available, Nick Nacker, would be added to the Mariners lineup this season. Lots of depth signings that could make the difference if top-end players end up going down with injuries. 

Top 25 Free Agents
9 - QB Oscar Rigano LI -> BOS 1Y, $13,000
10 - WR Trig Jegman HFX -> MTL 1Y, $13,000
11 - DB Dennis Kirchner PRO -> HFX 2Y, $14,000
16 - WR Angus Stevenson OTT -> PRO 1Y, $9,000
17 - WR Ronald Vernon PRO -> BOS 1Y, $10,000
18 - WR Fredrick St.Pierre BOS -> OTT 1Y, $7,500
20 - RB Leo Ravelli BUF -> BOS 1Y, $8,000
22 - RB Wally Morton OTT -> PRO 2Y, $5,000
23 - WR Nick Nacker LI -> HFX 2Y, $11,000
24 - OL Jack Workman OTT -> MTL 1Y, $7,500
25 - LB Felix Bender IND -> BUF 1Y, $12,000