Article content continued

“I don’t know if (Willis’s signing) was the exact reason why it was implemented,” Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day said.

“It was a matter of all of us saying that ‘there were a lot of conversations that happen before the free-agency period and was there anything we could do to mainstream it so all of the teams have an opportunity to talk to the players?’

“I believe there is something similar in the NFL and there is a period of time where you’re able to talk to the players. What we’re really trying to do is make it more open with the stuff that has happened.”

The free-agent window was part of the new collective bargaining agreement that was agreed to by the teams and the Canadian Football League’s Players’ Association on May 15. Variations of the free-agent window are already in place in the NFL, NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball.

According to details provided by the CFL, teams can make formal offers to pending free agents after the window opens on Sunday until Feb. 9 at 11 a.m.

When the window closes, teams will have an exclusive 48-hour negotiating period with their pending free agents and will have until Feb. 11 at 9 a.m. to make an offer.

Players will then have a two-hour window in which to select an offer from any team. If the player doesn’t accept the offer, he will enter free agency and follow the same process as in previous years.

“Players will know then that there is interest from other teams,” O’Day said. “The strategy then is to get on the phone with the guys that you potentially want to join your team.