1970 Free Agency Part 1

DB Aquilio Ruiz had the most eyes on him as free agency broke out, with the 27-year-old looking for a long-term deal that would pay him handsomely. The amount that Ruiz was asking for did take some of the top teams out of the mix, who were getting short on cap space already. 4 teams would ultimately fight over Ruiz’s services. Those teams were London, Long Island, Louisville, and Providence. Ruiz used the interest to his advantage to get his asking price higher, taking the Tigers out of the mix, who didn’t think the investment was worth it this early into their rebuild. In the end, Long Island and Louisville would make the biggest push, but the Thunder would win the sweepstakes, locking Ruiz in for a 4-year deal worth a total of $137,400. 

Young WR Al Allmendinger also attracted a lot of attention from teams, with his speed and youth being big desires for many. While there would be several offers, Allmendinger wanted the best opportunity to shine as a top target. In the end, that would land him in Boston to be paired up with QB Nathaniel Braddock. Boston would continue to spend big, adding DL Bjorn Sigmarsson to make a significant upgrade in their front 7 and then DB Tim McGovern to help with the depth in their secondary. Ultimately, these are strong signings that could get Boston back to the top again. 

Bjorn Sigmarsson was just the tip of the iceberg of veterans looking to a new home. Some were looking for a title, specifically, DL Craig White, who would land with the Royals in hopes of capturing a McCallister Cup and DL Tournel Guay would elect to stay in Buffalo to compete for titles instead of chase money. Not all of the veterans would find a new home, as DB Jayson Klyde would be left with nothing really on the table so far, despite being looked at as one of the stronger free agents in the class. 

Sticking in the top 10, there were still several veterans who were looking for new opportunities. Specifically, LB Orion Carter, who wanted a place where he could be the star LB. Carter would elect to sign in Minnesota to reunite with former teammates like DL Albert Sullivan and WR Sebastian Dassler. Carter is expected to be the anchor on defence, but along with plenty of young talent around him like the 1969 1st overall pick, LB Garrett Roberts. 

There were a pair of career Victors, that would be left without a contract in RB Raymond Green and DL Fred Webster. The two players would elect to head over to the team's newest rival, the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths, in hopes of seeking revenge on their former team. Of course, everything balances out as former Blacksmiths’ RB Tresean Jones would take Green’s spot in Indiana. 

The Raiders would be quite aggressive, as GM/Owner Wayne Tillman sought to make massive improvements on defence. He would bring in both LB Bear Donnelly and LB Red Clarkson who should be significant upgrades over the previous core. They would also grab DL Tyrone Powers for the D-line in hopes that the player can finally find his footing with his 3rd team. DB Bobby Bastian and S Sully Callahan are also solid additions to the team’s secondary. 

The QB market was relatively quiet, with Providence appearing to be the only team looking for a new option under centre with their new management. While they could still keep QB Ulysses Lawyer in the starting role this season as a bridge QB, they also hoped that they may be able to upgrade for a better bridge option. The choice would be between QB Landon Ross and QB Tyrion Gainsborough. In the end, the team would elect to sign QB Landon Ross. Ross played the last two seasons in Long Island under Providence’s new OC Kerry Holder’s system, which was the deciding factor. As for Gainsborough, despite interest from the Thunder, he would elect to stay with the Royals for one more year in hopes of taking another shot at a job next offseason. Former 10th overall pick, QB David Simmons does have some potential landing spots on the table, but none of the teams are ready to commit as they feel that some of the QB options at the draft may be more interesting to them over Simmons, who played pretty mediocrely for the winless Thunder last season.  

Top 25 Free Agency
1 - DB Aquilio Ruiz - HFX -> LOU - 4Y, $34,350
2 - DL Bjorn Sigmarsson - LOU -> BOS - 2Y, $30,000 - NTC
3 - LB Orion Carter - BUF -> MIN - 2Y, $28,000 
4 - WR Al Allmendinger - TOR -> BOS - 3Y, $24,500
5 - RB Raymond Green - IND -> PIT - 2Y, $24,000
6 - LB Bear Donnelly - HFX -> LI - 2Y, $25,000
7 - TE Jesse Butler - TOR -> PIT - 2Y, $23,500
8 - DB Jayson Klyde - MTL
9 - QB Tyrion Gainsborough - OTT -> OTT - 1Y, $18,000
10 - QB Landon Ross - LI -> PRO - 1Y, $19,500
11 - RB Tresean Jones - PIT -> IND - 1Y, $18,000
12 - OL Ted Cole - MIN -> PRO - 2Y, $15,000
13 - S Tom Parrish - IND -> PRO - 2Y, $21,000
14 - OL Amos Sewell - OTT -> MIN - 2Y, $17,500
15 - DL Craig White - PRO -> OTT - 1Y, $23,500 - NTC
16 - RB Ronald O’Sullivan - PIT
17 - WR Russell Wilcox - MTL -> PRO - 1Y, $19,000
18 - DL Tournel Guay - BUF -> BUF - 1Y, $17,250
19 - WR Doug Piva - PRO
20 - WR Alexei Dubois - LOU -> TOR - 1Y, $22,000
21 - DB Tim McGovern - IND -> BOS - 2Y, $17,250
22 - DL Tyrone Powers - PIT -> LI - 2Y, $17,500
23 - QB David Simmons - LOU
24 - DB Tyler Hill - MIN -> LDN - 2Y, $12,750
25 - RB Théodore Lemieux - HFX -> MTL - 1Y, $18,250