The Ottawa Redblacks have reportedly found their guy. According to Justin Dunk, Jeremiah Masoli has followed Shawn Burke to the nation’s capital and will be joining the Redblacks for the 2022 season.
The contract remains unofficial until Tuesday when Free Agency is set to open across the league, but the contract is expected to come in at two years and up to $450,000 according to Tim Baines. Masoli, previously of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats lost his starting job in the hammer after Dane Evans was re-signed earlier in the offseason. It was also reported that the Edmonton Elks were persuing Masoli’s services and drove his price tag up.
It was a season filled with ups and downs for Masoli in 2021, but from week nine and on (including the playoffs), Masoli completed 189 of his 264 passes (71.5%) for 2,459 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. This was Masoli at his best. If this is the quarterback that the Redblacks end up getting, they could become playoff contenders. There are a couple of hurdles that could derail that, however.
One of the Redblacks’ biggest issues in the past two seasons has been the offensive line and the receivers. Those two positions are likely priorities for the team heading into Free Agency early next week, but both spots currently have a good number of capable players looking for new homes. As of now, Mark Korte, Nolan MacMillan, R.J. Harris, and Tyler Catalina are all pending free agents who have yet to be re-signed.
Related: Ottawa Redblacks Free Agency 2022
If those two positions were to remain unimproved from their 2019 and 2021 forms, adding Masoli would be a moot point. No quarterback is going to have major success with as many issues around him as the Redblacks have had in recent years, but there does appear to be some kind of plan in place.
There have been rumours connecting the Redblacks to players like Jaelon Acklin, Llevi Noel, and William Powell according to Baines, but with the contract paid out to Masoli already, it could come at the cost of missing out on a couple of the names they would like to add. They have also been connected to some players on the defensive side of the football, and it’s clear that Burke and company are looking to make this team competitive as soon as possible.
This signing proves that Burke and the Redblacks are confident that Masoli is the guy to lead their team back to the playoffs. He was rewarded with a heft contract for this upcoming season, but the value will go up once again in 2023. In that season, Masoli will earn over $500,000 (unless it is re-worked) according to TSN’s Farhan Lalji. It’s a large chunk of cash to commit to a player who hasn’t been able to win the big game yet, but it does show that the Redblacks are tired of sitting in the league’s basement and they are ready to dig their way out.
| BC Lions | Free Agency 2022 |
| Calgary Stampeders | Free Agency 2022 |
| Edmonton Elks | Free Agency 2022 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Free Agency 2022 |
| Montreal Alouettes | Free Agency 2022 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | Free Agency 2022 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | Free Agency 2022 |
| Toronto Argonauts | Free Agency 2022 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Free Agency 2022 |
4 thoughts on “Redblacks Reportedly Add Jeremiah Masoli”