Twice a year, the CFL reveals ten names (per team) from a negotiation list, which is meant to show interest in certain players (with the hopes of signing a few of them to contracts). Most of these players are either in college, the NFL, or free agency, but the CFL wants them to know about a possible alternative. These are the ten players that Hamilton is looking at.
Key:
Italics = collegiate athlete
Bold = NFL athlete
Standard text = free agent
Anthony Brown, QB, Oregon
Jayden de Laura, QB, Washington State
Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest
Vosean Joseph, LB, FA
Jamie Newman, QB, FA
Drew Plitt, QB, Ball State
Shawn Poindexter, WR, FA
Jordan Ta’amu, QB, Washington Football Team
Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland
Jamar Watson, LB, FA
A majority of the names are quarterbacks, which is a common theme on any negotiation list. However, this is important for Hamilton, as both Dane Evans and Jeremiah Masoli are free agents heading into 2022. Although one of them will likely return, the team may still want to add depth and replicate what they had in years past.
One name that stands out among them all is Jordan Ta’amu, a former Ole Miss quarterback who started for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL. Additionally, he has experience with three NFL teams (Texans, Chiefs, Lions), and recently signed with a fourth (Washington). Although Ta’amu has never seen any regular-season action, he’s done enough to bounce around and earn a few contracts. Ta’amu is one of four names that was on Hamilton’s original list from September. The other three are Anthony Brown, Jamie Newman, and Shawn Poindexter.
Another name worth mentioning is Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The two originally played together at Alabama, but after Tua went to the NFL, Taulia transferred to Maryland in search of more playing time. In 2021, he threw for over 3,500 yards as a starter.
Of the ten players Hamilton has identified, only four would be eligible to sign with the team right now (Vosean Joseph, Jamie Newman, Shawn Poindexter, and Jamar Watson). However, as history would suggest, most of these players won’t end up in the CFL at all. The details regarding the negotiation list are complicated, despite the idea itself being quite innovative. More news will come as time goes on, and these names are still worth monitoring regardless of what happens.
