Edmonton Eskimos GM applauded for stabilizing CFL club in free-agency frenzy
'Trevor Harris may be the closest thing the CFL has to a Lebron James'
As soon as the Edmonton Eskimos played their final game of the season, talk shifted to quarterback Mike Reilly's future with the club.
On Tuesday, to no one's surprise, Reilly signed on with his former general manager Ed Hervey, now GM in Vancouver.
But it's what followed that made headlines.
"It really should have been a dark day for Edmonton losing Mike," said Chris O'Leary, senior writer with CFL.ca, who spent much of the day huddled around a table in Toronto with his colleagues watching the day unfold.
Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland was on his phone within minutes, replacing Reilly with former Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris.
Day 1 of free agency could have felt like a wake in Edmonton. Brock Sunderland made it a rebirth. On a big day for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/esks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#esks</a> GM <a href="https://t.co/YCRiDY2gsy">https://t.co/YCRiDY2gsy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLFA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFLFA</a>
—@olearychris'Best day as a GM'
O'Leary equated losing Reilly to the Eskimos losing legend Warren Moon or Ricky Ray and the Oilers losing Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier.
While Reilly's departure was expected, the speed with which his replacement was signed was not.
"I think Brock Sunderland had by far his best day as a GM in Edmonton," O'Leary said.
"I don't think you're going to replace outright such a unique talent like Mike Reilly, but to get Trevor Harris, who was the next best quarterback available with Bo Levi [Mitchell].
"He's still an elite talent in the league and is a little bit younger and is just coming into his prime as a football player," O'Leary said.
After inking Harris to a two-year deal reportedly worth $550,000 per season, Sunderland, as O'Leary described it, "went off" locking down nine more free agents and signing two Canadian draft picks.
'Closest thing the CFL has to Lebron James'
Along with the 32-year-old Harris, Sunderland added former Ottawa Redblacks all-star offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers and all-star receiver Greg Ellingson.
The three are core players who Sunderland won a Grey Cup with in 2016 as an assistant general manager with Ottawa.
"Trevor Harris may be the closest thing the CFL has to a Lebron James," said Gerry Moddejonge who has covered the Eskimos for 11 years. "He's getting his teammates together before moving on to another team."
Getcha popcorn ready. The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Esks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Esks</a> Mike Reilly Era ends in T-minus 20 minutes. #<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLFA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFLFA</a>
—@GerryModdejongeThat package deal brings a winning pedigree as well as instant chemistry for the Eskimos lineup.
"Across the board, I believe the Eskimos are a much better team now than they were even without the face of the franchise," Moddejonge said. "It was going to be crazy coming in, and it's just as crazy how it worked out here for Edmonton."
Training camp begins mid-May with Edmonton and the B.C. Lions playing each other in their first preseason game on May 26 at Commonwealth Stadium.