Due to coming of an all time coach;The head coach of Edomonton Elks has officially announce his leaving
With key roster decisions facing head coach and general manager Chris Jones two weeks into the new season, the Edmonton Elks won’t have much time to relax in 2024.
The Green and Gold have January 15 circled on their calendar because several important players are due significant offseason bonuses on that day. The most important of them is quarterback Taylor Cornelius, who will get a $100,000 check if he plays for the team until that deadline.
After taking over as the Elks’ starting quarterback in September 2022, the 28-year-old signal-caller was signed to a two-year contract extension. However, he was benched seven games into the 2023 season and finished with 103 receptions for 1,305 yards, five touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
The Elks now find themselves in an awkward position, since the quarterback’s contract extension also included a 2024 base salary guarantee of $100,000.
The Elks can afford to keep Cornelius on the roster as Canadian starter Tre Ford enters the final year of his rookie contract. The team is reportedly interested in McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a former Grey Cup quarterback, whose salary would make it difficult for the current backup to coexist.
Although Edmonton might be ready to swallow $100,000 in dead money on the salary cap in order to let Cornelius go, it would be logistically difficult to absorb twice that sum. Thus, January 15 will be a crucial date in deciding whether Chris Jones will sign the 35-year-old veteran that he so desperately wants.
Beyond the quarterback room decisions will also matter. The Elks With a significant investment under center, the team’s recent strategy of paying a premium for receivers may become less viable, and Cornelius’ two highest-paid targets will both benefit at the same time.
At a whooping $320,000 per season, Edmonton made Eugene Lewis the highest-paid receiver in the CFL. Despite having his worst season since 2018—48 receptions for 844 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games—the soon-to-be 31-year-old will still be owed the same amount of money in 2019, starting with an offseason bonus of $75,000.
Another free agent that was signed In his debut season with the Elks, Steven Dunbar Jr. had a similar amount of difficulty despite recording 39 receptions for 536 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games. He was the league’s third-highest paid receiver last season.
year and will see a small pay increase in 2024, beginning on January 15 with a $65,000 check.
Stability at quarterback would be very beneficial for both of these former all-stars, but their high price tags also represent two of the team’s biggest outlays. As of now, the expenses have not been justified by the outcomes, which begs the critical question of whether the current approach is viable.
