Dressler, Foley, Heenan among Riders potential free agents
Riders GM Brendan Taman will have his hands full with several defensive stars becoming free agents
The garbage bags are packed, the players have said their goodbyes, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now gearing up for the 2015 CFL season.
The players cleared out their lockers on Tuesday after losing the West Division semi-final to Edmonton 18-10.
There are many question marks in Riderville when it comes to free agents.
One player you can scratch off this year's roster is quarterback Kerry Joseph. Joseph, who said he will retire once again, took blame for the team's playoff loss.
"Eventually I'm gonna get over it," Joseph said. "I'm going to take the bad and use it in my coaching career and use it to be a great coach. To make sure that whoever I'm coaching and wherever I'm coaching, that it doesn't happen to the guy that I'm coaching."
For the second straight season, the Riders are dealing with a large number of free agents. Last off-season, the Riders had 19 free agents.
General manager Brendan Taman will have his hands filled trying to re-sign or replace several marquee players.
Receiver Weston Dressler, who was a free agent before leaving for the NFL last season, will be one of the top priorities for Taman. After being released by the Kansas City Chiefs this past summer, Dressler was offered everything from free sandwiches to ice cream before signing a one-year deal.
The Riders are particularly vulnerable on defense with talent such as safety Tyron Brackenridge, defensive lineman Tearrius George, defensive end Ricky Foley, linebacker Brian Peters, and defensive backs Rod Williams and Tristan Jackson all set to become free agents in February.
On offense, quarterback Tino Sunseri, offensive lineman Ben Heenan and running back Jerome Messam are all at the end of their deals with the Riders.
Last year's free agency dismantled Grey Cup team
Despite the celebrations and financial benefits, it's never easy being a championship team in the off-season.
Last year, Taman was able to re-sign key players including Terrell Maze, Chris Milo, Taj Smith, Macho Harris, and Paul Woldu. However, the 2013 Grey Cup champions also lost Weston Dressler, Kory Sheets and Alex Hall to the NFL. Dressler returned in late August.
The Riders also lost Craig Butler (Hamilton), Aaron Hargreaves (Ottawa), Kierrie Johnson (Ottawa), Abraham Kromah (Hamilton), Jermaine McElveen (Montreal), Graig Newman (Winnipeg), Jock Sanders (Calgary), and Ricky Schmitt (BC).
The team also traded quarterback Drew Willy to Winnipeg.
The only player Taman lured from another CFL team during free agency was defensive lineman David Lee.