MONDAY CFL UPDATE

Anthony Lanier II is staying with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Riders announced Monday the defensive lineman had signed a one-year contract extension. Financial details weren’t divulged, but a CFL source said the deal was worth a guaranteed $250,000 and included a $100,000 signing bonus and $10,000 bonus for reporting to training camp and passing a physical.

Lanier, 29, spent the last two seasons with Saskatchewan. He appeared in 11 regular-season games in 2022, recording 19 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

The six-foot-six, 285-pound Lanier has played 21 career CFL regular-season games with Saskatchewan, registering 32 tackles, nine sacks and two forced fumbles.

Before joining the Riders, Lanier spent five seasons in the NFL with Washington (2016-18), the L.A. Chargers (2018-20), Kansas City (2020) and New Orleans (2020). He appeared in 15 career games with the Commanders (two starts), registering 10 tackles (five for a loss), five sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

The defensive line would seem to be a priority for the Riders, who re-signed defensive lineman Pete Robertson on Saturday. The six-foot-two, 243-pound Robertson finished fourth in the CFL in sacks last year with nine while also registering 21 tackles (one for a loss), an interception and league-high five forced fumbles.

Lanier was scheduled to become a free agent Feb. 14. But starting Sunday, teams were able to begin talking to pending free agent and Lanier reportedly had four clubs, including Saskatchewan, interested in securing his services for 2023.

Another league source said Monday veteran quarterback Matthew Shiltz has agreed to remain with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The six-foot-two, 205-pound Shiltz is entering his sixth CFL season – second with the Ticats – and will provide a veteran presence behind veteran Bo Levi Mitchell, who signed a three-year deal with the club last month.

Shiltz, 30, started three games last season for Hamilton, winning two. He completed 85-of-119 passes (71.4 per cent) for 935 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing 28 times for 152 yards (5.4-yard average) and a touchdown.

Shiltz was eligible to come a CFL free agent Feb. 14.

Under terms of the CFL’s negotiating window, other pending free agents have until noon ET on Sunday to entertain offers from other clubs.

Those proposals – including base salary and incentives – must be registered with the league and CFL Players’ Association. Any submissions made will be considered binding.

When the window closes, teams will have 48 hours to negotiate exclusively with their own potential free agents. The CFL will provide clubs with registered offers that have been made to those players.

Teams will then have until 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 14 to make an offer to their own players, of which a copy must given to both the league and CFLPA.

Following the 48-hour period, the player will have two hours (10 a.m.-noon ET) on Feb. 14 to select any offer made to him. If he accepts one, the chosen team must then inform the CFL.

Should the player turn down all offers, he’ll enter free agency at 12:01 p.m. ET on Feb. 14. Any prior offers will be no longer available.

The free-agency window was introduced in 2020 to curb tampering and also allow pending free agents to explore all of their options and gauge their value before the start of the free-agent period.

(Canadian Press)