1966 Free Agency Pre-Draft

1966 Free Agency Pre-Draft

It was not a big surprise when QB Lyle Painter officially signed a 3-year contract with the Halifax Mariners. The Mariners were the only team that was looking for a new starting QB this offseason, which meant it was pretty much the only place Painter would be able to maintain a starting role heading into this season. With the youth the team has, Halifax could be a great place for the veteran QB to continue his career. 

The other big fish in DB Cameron Taylor took a lot longer to find a new home. 6 teams were originally interested in the veteran, but it came down to Boston, Indiana, and Pittsburgh as they offered either a competitive team, a lot of money, or a bigger market. In the end, Indiana had the best combination and he will join the Victors next season which should provide the squad with a great boost. Many are noting the similarity of the move to DB Alexander Bradley’s move to Louisville, which could mean good news for the Victors.

The various DL that were available would go to various new places. Mickey Daly would surprise a lot of people by signing on with the Blacksmiths which gives them a pretty sturdy line. Robin Hill would go closer to home (Burlington, VT) by signing in Montreal, which should help that team a lot this season. Barbarcos was thought to potentially return to Montreal after being picked in the expansion draft, however, he decided to head to the champs in Long Island. Blaine Caswell ended up taking a larger salary to play for the Royals next season and Dennis Hughes ended up taking Daly’s spot on the Blue Wings line for next season.

OL Christopher Weeks ended up returning to Toronto in hopes of joining the championship push of his former team. S Nick Larson, who used to play in Toronto decided to take a different route providing some stability in the safety position in Boston behind Ernie Osborne who will likely be the starter for the first time in his career. S Drew Porter looks to do the same in joining the Victors on a solid contract with them.

Matt Fletcher was the most interesting QB outside of Painter. The former 1st round pick has not gotten a chance so far in the NAAF, so he is taking a gamble with the Steelheads who do have a pair of older QBs and may lead to a shot down the line. As for others, QB Stanslav Ovechkin decided to take advantage of the potential uncertainty that could be the Indiana QB room. Robert Humphrey also joined his 3rd different team in the NAAF looking to backup Riley Kiernan in London.

WR Sammy Moss also created some buzz in returning to Providence after two years in Louisville. Moss played with new GM Peter Brooks, so it seems the two wanted to reconnect in Providence this season. DB Dennis Kirchner also decided to return to Providence as well.

Top 25 Free Agents
1 - QB Lyle Painter - IND -> HFX - 3Y, $27,500 (NTC Y3 with $30,000)
2 - DB Cameron Taylor - PRO -> IND 3Y, $26,000
3 - DL Mickey Daly - BUF -> PIT - 2Y, $22,000
4 - DL Robin Hill - BOS -> MTL - 1Y, $20,500
5 - S Drew Porter - BOS -> IND - 1Y, $18,000
6 - DL Dexter Barbarcos - PIT -> LI - 2Y, $16,000
7 - OL Christopher Weeks - PIT -> TOR - 2Y, $15,000
8 - DB Dennis Kirchner - PRO -> PRO - 1Y, $18,000
9 - S Nick Larson - PRO -> BOS - 1Y, $12,000
10 - TE Micheal Bowman III - LDN -> LI - 1Y, $15,000
11 - DL Blaine Caswell - LI -> OTT - 1Y, $16,000
12 - QB Matt Fletcher - LI -> TOR - 2Y, $15,000
13 - QB Stanislav Ovechkin - LOU -> IND - 1Y, $14,000
14 - QB Robert Humphrey - HFX -> LDN - 1Y, $14,000
15 - WR Sammy Moss - LOU -> PRO - 1Y, $15,000
16 - S Clarence Sale - LI -> LI 2Y, $12,000
17 - LB Killian Reed - PIT -> BOS - 1Y, $18,000
18 - TE Andrew Mathias - LI -> PRO - 1Y, $14,000
19 - WR Otto Washington - IND
20 - WR Paul Franklin - HFX
21 - DL Dennis Hughes - MTL -> BUF 1Y, $14,000
22 - OL Benny Germain - MTL -> IND 1Y, $12,000
23 - WR Sam Nash - TOR
24 - DB Lou Lake - IND -> BUF - 1Y, $8,000
25 - QB Rigobert St-Hilaire - MTL