1964 Re-Sign Stage

1964 Re-Sign Stage

QUESTIONS ARISING OUT OF TORONTO FOLLOWING THEIR CONTRACT DECISIONS
Following the Steelheads’ selecting of players from the OFU, they had to get all of the players signed to NAAF deals to stick around. It certainly is not an easy task and the Steelheads would have to figure out who they felt was going to be best. In the end, it seemed like there was a lot of favourability towards former Lakers. This was evident with the former Lakers being offered contracts first and with higher salaries. The Steelheads were starting to find that they might have a bit of cap crunch so they had to let some guys go. The most notable being WR Marshall Leonard, who was especially displeased as he was often looked at as the best WR in the OFU. They would also drop several veterans in LB John MacDonald, LB Terry Long, QB Robert Humphrey, and OL Alen Williams. The other player that was surprisingly dropped was RB Austin Andrews, however, that may mean the Steelheads are targeting one of the top RBs in the draft. 

LYLE PAINTER SIGNS TO STAY IN INDIANA
There were plenty of expectations following the trade that sent Painter to the Victors that the former 1st overall pick would be headed to free agency following the season. The one exception to this would be the Victors committing to him as the starter. While Indiana hasn’t confirmed anything yet, the 2-year, $25,000 contract looks a lot like the team is committing to the QB for the time being. Painter was alright with Indiana last season and the team is hoping that in his second season with the team he can start to become comfortable and can finally get the Victors into the playoffs. 

JEAN MATIEAU IS NOT DONE YET
A major injury took the 3-time MVP out of the 1963 season, and there were many questioning if the QB would ever see the field again. At 38-years-old, Matieau doesn’t have a lot of time left, and the major injury took a little extra time away. Since the injury, Matieau has been working hard to recover and get back to full health. He felt that he could not close out his career with the injury and at the very least wants to step on the field in front of the Royals crowd, one last time. He would take a fairly cheap 1-year deal at only $18,000. It is expected Matieau will start the season, but both QB Lee Rogers and QB Landon Ross will be itching to get a shot. 

NEVILLE LOCKS IN FOR 5 MORE YEARS IN PROVIDENCE
One of the biggest young stars had a big decision to make this offseason. DB Neville Falkner has only been in the league for 3 seasons and he already has 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards. He has been one of the best young DB’s in the league’s history and his rookie deal has finally ended. It was a tough situation for the Gold Stars to handle, as there have not been that many players with the level of success that Falkner has gained in his first 3 seasons. It was quite a process, but Falkner ended up signing on to a 5-year deal at $34,000 a season. Falkner has enjoyed playing for the Providence fans and is hoping that the team will be able to finally get over the top during his time with the team. 

HALIFAX COMMITS TO ONE MORE SEASON OF A BATTLE BETWEEN THEIR YOUNG QBs
The Mariners have two young QBs in Michael Benedict and Buck Murphy. In their first few seasons, they have both been given some opportunities to show what they got. In the end, the Mariners decided to give both guys another shot this season to prove who is their guy for the future. Benedict still has his rookie deal, but Murphy would need a new deal and would end up on a 1-year $15,000 deal for this season. It should be an interesting QB battle heading into this season. 

MAJOR CONTRACTS SIGNED
WR Ellis Lindholm BOS - 1Y, $31,000
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 2Y, $29,000
DB Dean Hawkins BUF - 2Y, $18,000
S Wesley Jones BUF - 3Y, $19,750
LB Terrence Patton IND - 5Y, $22,000
DL Fred Webster IND - 3Y, $18,000
OL Ward Briscoe HFX - 3Y, $22,000
RB Stavros Black HFX - 2Y, $21,000
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 4Y, $26,000
DL Richard Blunt LDN - 4Y, $22,500
DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand LI - 2Y, $17,500
LB Gene Bensen LI - 2Y, $26,500
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - 4Y, 22,500
S Johnny Berger LOU - 3Y, $33,500
WR Taylor Karis MTL - 5Y, $20,000
DL Lucas Kipling MTL - 2Y, $15,500
WR Carter Henderson OTT - 3Y, $17,500
DL Howard Grant OTT - 3Y, $14,000
RB Rashed Smith PRO - 2Y, $17,000
DL Calias McDonough PRO - 1Y, $24,000

Free Agent Preview
Looking into free agency, a lot of eyes will be on the top prize of DB Alexander Bradley. The Thunder dealt with being right up against the cap last season and did not feel like Bradley would be worth bringing back at his asking price. The question will be if Bradley will want to shoot for the most money on a middle to lower-end team or if he will want to take less to be on a competitor. Regardless, he will be the top target this free agency period.

The next position of note will be at wide receiver with several strong options becoming available. WR Chester Bennett is wanting to still try and compete as the Royals head into a rebuild. WR Sammy Moss and WR Ben Roland are aiming for money and bigger roles, however, it may be hard to find. WR Darryl Duke will also be looking for a competitive team. The most interesting could be WR Marshall Leonard, who is quite good at only 26-years-old. 

After those main positions, there are going to be a couple of top-end LBs available with Harrison Bennett and longtime Boston #3 LB Marco Price. There is also Rusty McVee looking for a home for what is likely his final professional season. There are also a plethora of RBs and QBs that certainly will be hoping for a starting opportunity, if not a strong backup position. 

Top 25 Free Agents
1 - DB Alexander Bradley LOU
2 - WR Chester Bennett OTT
3 - WR Sammy Moss PRO
4 - WR Ben Roland LOU
5 - LB Harrison Bennett IND
6 - LB Marco Price BOS
7 - QB Stanislav Ovechkin LOU
8 - WR Darryl Duke MTL
9 - WR Benedict Spencer PRO
10 - WR Marshall Leonard HAM*
11 - RB Eddie Thompson LDN
12 - RB Don Gregson IND
13 - LB Rusty McVee PRO
14 - OL Ulysses Fairgrove PRO
15 - QB Robert Humphrey HAM*
16 - LB Terry Long HAM*
17 - QB Terry Bourbon LI
18 - OL Alen Williams HAM*
19 - LB Killian Reed OTT
20 - DB Jacques Gaul BUF
21 - S Cal Clemmons IND
22 - RB Austin Andrews KCH*
23 - DB William Quincy HAM*
24 - DB Elvin Waters HFX
25 - WR Moe Schafer BUF