The new acquisitions of the Montreal Alouettes have gone a little under the radar since the opening of the free agent market. In order to vigorously defend their Gray Cup title, why didn’t the most recent champions come to an agreement with major free agents like Mathieu Betts, AJ Ouellette and Brady Oliveira?
“This is not a popularity contest I want to win. I want to win the Gray Cup,” the team’s general manager, Danny Maciocia, responded straight away in an interview with The Press.
The 56-year-old man was extremely lucid in explaining his approach. Hiring players like Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Tevin Jones or Dylan Wynn may resonate a little less in the minds and hearts of the team’s fans, but Maciocia is simply asking to be trusted. “We could bring in popular players, but if in November we are 6-12, I don’t think there will be many people happy with our decisions. »
He categorically refuses to bring big names to town commanding an imposing salary at the expense of several players of depth and talent equivalent to the salary of a single star player. In the CEO’s mind, this is a bad strategy. Perhaps even unnatural.
The most coveted free agents imposed salary demands whose estimate is on average around $250,000 per season. To some extent, given the state of the current market and the potential impact of these players on the field, these demands are not necessarily convoluted.
Danny Maciocia’s reflection on these demands revolved around a single fundamental question: “Can you win a championship if you put everything on two or three players?” »
For him, the calculation is simple: the squad of a team includes 45 players. Some of them will, inevitably, get injured during the season. The general manager therefore wants to keep some room for maneuver under the salary cap in the event of an emergency. Then, a quarterback earns on average a salary between $400,000 and $500,000 annually in the CFL. So, if we add to the equation a star player asking for $300,000, between $700,000 and $800,000 of a payroll of 5.5 million would be allocated to just two players. “So if it eats up, for example, 20% of your ceiling, that means you’re going to have a lot of people who will earn the minimum salary of $70,000! »
It is impossible to read the future, but Maciocia does not close the door, if necessary, to the possibility of acquiring the services of a player with a higher salary than average. However, in the short term, this possibility is not viable: “With all the work we have done, with the players we hired in December and January, I cannot afford to have a player to $250,000. This is impossible in the current context. »
More normality
At this time last year, Danny Maciocia summoned members of the media to the Alouettes’ locker room at the Olympic Stadium to signal the total disinterest of the former owners regarding the acquisition of new players. Resources were dry and the CEO had no funds to maneuver and improve his team. He looked down and had a heavy heart.
A year later, the Alouettes can finally compete with the eight other teams in the League. From now on, the team can negotiate with talented players because it has the necessary liquidity. Maciocia couldn’t be happier and it shows in his tone of voice.
“The only difference is that we have it here, and before the arrival of Mr. Péladeau, we did not have it. »
Thus, to translate the general manager’s words, the Alouettes can finally breathe, not because the new owner has loosened the purse strings so that Maciocia can spend lavishly in order to have an ascendancy over other organizations. The point simply being that he has the 5 million or so necessary to maneuver under the salary cap, a question of fighting on equal terms with the other teams.
“The difference is that we are living a normal situation. That is to say that we have the same resources as the eight other teams. It’s not that we have more, it’s that in recent years, we have had a lot less. We couldn’t compete with other teams on the salary cap, or the coaching cap, or the football operations employees. We are experiencing what the eight other teams were already experiencing. »
The luxury of saying no
Due to the financial leeway, Danny Maciocia breathes much easier. He also has better arguments to convince players and their agents to come to an agreement with the Alouettes. His best argument, however, has nothing to do with money.
The team’s most recent victory at the Gray Cup greatly helps the general manager in his approach, he admits. “Last year, there weren’t many people who trusted me when I told them that we could build a competitive team. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Marc-Antoine Dequoy celebrates the Alouettes championship with fans in the streets of Montreal during the Gray Cup parade, November 22, 2023.
However, since December, “the number of times I had to say no because we don’t have room was really surprising. […] It’s completely normal for agents to call us to tell us that their clients are interested in coming to Montreal. We haven’t experienced this in recent years. We reached another place. »
On a personal level, Maciocia could never have predicted being in such a state of mind a year ago. A Gray Cup title and a little more cash doesn’t change the world, except…
“I am very, very, very happy. When I get up in the morning, I’m more than motivated to come to work, because I can’t wait to start my day. »