On February 5, the CFL and its Players’ Association dropped a bombshell on all nine franchises, announcing the second-largest single-year salary cap increase in modern league history.
The new 2025 salary cap ceiling of $6,062,365, secured through the revenue growth sharing model enshrined in the collective bargaining agreement, represents a $537,365 increase from 2024 and is up $412,365 from what teams initially projected for this year. Unfortunately, the announcement came three days after the CFL’s free agency communication window had opened and when most of the major deals had already been agreed to in principle.
While some speculated that the injection of new money would cause a wave of renegotiations, teams were caught off-guard and collectively stood pat on their previous offers. Several general managers stated publicly that the change did not affect their budgets for free agency, with approval needed from their superiors to increase player spending. There was also uncertainty over whether the CFLPA could still reverse course and apply the revenue to other forms of direct player compensation, bringing the cap back down.
Because teams are only required to spend to a salary cap floor set $600,000 below the ceiling, all would be well within their rights to stick close to the previous cap number and leave the increase untouched. However, a team willing to use their funds more decisively could have an advantage over the competition.
More than a month and a half after the increase was announced, 3DownNation asked all nine teams if they intend to spend to the new cap ceiling. Here is what they each had to say.
B.C. Lions
B.C. has been open about exceeding the salary cap last season, overspending to a degree that will potentially cost them their first-round pick. New general manager Ryan Rigmaiden credited owner Amar Doman for allowing the team to bend the rules in pursuit of a home Grey Cup but insisted that strategy will not be repeated.
“Last year was an exception and an outlier, in the sense that we felt like if we could add two talented players like Nathan Rourke and Mathieu Betts when we did to make that push for a Grey Cup, that was something that was worth doing,” Rigmaiden said. “I don’t anticipate us being over the cap at any time in the future. To be honest with you, that was a one-time thing.”
The Lions weren’t big spenders in free agency, opting to bring in value at depth positions after handing the bag to their own returning players. They plan to stay that course and Rigmaiden indicated he is unlikely to push the envelope even with the cap increase.
Edmonton Elks
The Elks might seem like the top candidate to challenge the new cap ceiling given that they spent like drunken sailors in free agency. However, new general manager Ed Hervey insisted that his balance sheet would have passed muster with the league’s accountants before the cap even increased.
“I’ve never gone over the cap, so realistically nothing changes as far as how we plan to spend. We know what our numbers are, what they will be,” Hervey said.
“We weren’t going in with the intent of projecting $200,000 or $300,000 over the cap. We were going in with the expectation that we were going to be on par or just a little bit under.”
With that said, the outspoken former receiver would not rule out dipping into the new money if the right player became available.
“If there’s an opportunity to make our team better, we have no question in our minds that we will make all efforts to improve our football team and give us a chance to be successful.”
Calgary Stampeders
Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson acknowledged that the Stampeders are still operating based on their pre-free agency financial projections, but tried to dispel the team’s reputation as penny-pinchers by saying they would use the new money if needed.
“We had a budget and we’re going to stick with it, but we’re spending to win,” he insisted.
Dickenson also explained why he and so many other general managers didn’t immediately put the salary cap increase to good use, noting the uncertainty that accompanied the initial announcement.
“We didn’t know where the Players’ Association necessarily was going to try to put that extra money anyway — it could have gone anywhere,” the former quarterback said. “It could have gone into free agency, or could have gone into training camp pay, or pensions.”
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Rider Nation has been quick to criticize their team’s management for failing to take full advantage of all the financial power they have accrued since their golden era, but general manager Jeremy O’Day seems less shy about his intention to spend than most. While the sudden nature of the salary cap announcement caught him just as flatfooted as the others, he plans to deploy those funds throughout the season.
“We weren’t impacted in the short term but in the long term, I would say that we always try to spend to the cap,” O’Day said. “I would suggest that we would continue to do that, even with the cap moving.”
With Saskatchewan in prime position for a year two bump under head coach Corey Mace, some key in-season additions could go a long way to putting the Green and White over the top.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
We already had a good grasp of Winnipeg’s approach to the salary cap increase, given that general manager Kyle Walters was the first person to make a meaningful public statement on the matter. He voiced his reservations about the unprecedented situation during his post-free agency press conference and made clear his team would not be budging off their previous budget, essentially locking them in to spending to the new cap floor.
Asked whether his opinion had softened, Walters was brief: “As of now, nothing’s changed.”
Apparently, the allure of a home Grey Cup victory isn’t enough to tempt Walters to reconsider — or at least not yet.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
New Ticats general manager Ted Goveia claimed the prize for the most enlightening and intriguing comment on the salary cap. He went a step further than his contemporaries, revealing not only that was he uncertain as to how the CFLPA would choose to apply their revenue share when the announcement was made but also that he still does not believe the currently reported increase is set in stone.
“Is the dust settled? I’m not aware that it is,” Goveia mused. “I’m probably gonna find out more as we get closer to it.”
The idea that the 2025 salary cap could still be in flux a month before training camps open presents a fascinating wrinkle to this situation, though the Burlington, Ont. native made clear that he has been too busy with scouting duties to seriously dig into the issue with the CFLPA. He also indicated that he isn’t in the business of leaving free money on the table once he has clarity.
“We’re in a decent position cap-wise and we’ll spend whatever we’re allowed to spend,” he said. “We always do, every team does. I don’t know any team that’s not spending to the cap.”
Toronto Argonauts
The increase in the salary cap would be little more than a rounding error to MLSE, but it doesn’t appear that the Argonauts will be spending any more of their owner’s money — at least not yet.
“We don’t plan on going to the new cap but that doesn’t mean we won’t if there is a need or something happens,” said general manager Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons. “The nucleus of our team is already there, it’s the guys that we have and the guys that we are bringing in, but if there turns out to be some need in some place, it would be prudent for us to do that.”
Pinball expressed a feeling of obligation as the defending Grey Cup champions to maintain their level of recent success and won’t be afraid to open up the pocketbook if performance falters or the injury bug bites.
Ottawa Redblacks
While Winnipeg may have spoken the fewest words on this topic, it was the Redblacks who provided the least insight into their strategy.
“I have a budget to maintain. I always focus on that budget, and as it changes, decisions will be made,” general manager Shawn Burke stated flatly.
The veteran front office executive declined to go into more detail, repeating his statement when asked if the team’s strategy had changed since the salary cap announcement.
Montreal Alouettes
General manager Danny Maciocia rightly pointed out that discussions around the salary cap that take place in March aren’t particularly informative, given that teams don’t have to find themselves in between the required benchmarks until December 31. Retirements and injuries could make current projections higher than the end result, while in-season additions or early re-signings might cause a team’s spending to balloon late in the financial year.
“I’m not at the floor. I’m not in the middle and I’m not at the cap. I’m wide open,” he stated. “Don’t forget, the cap is not something that you have to adhere to on a daily basis.”
With that said, while the Alouettes remain committed to spending what is required to be competitive, the salary cap announcement didn’t alter their current plan of attack. Maciocia also took a moment to boast about the team’s recent success on a shoestring budget, which would seem to suggest he will aim low initially.
“I don’t think it changes the strategy. The reality is in 2023 when we won the Grey Cup, we had the lowest payroll in the CFL,” he revealed. “I’m not sure just yet, but I think we had the lowest payroll last year in 2024 and we won 12 games. It can be done.”
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