The Montreal Alouettes have been turned down by multiple potential general managers.

Candidates including Hamilton’s Sean Burke, Winnipeg’s Danny McManus and Ryan Rigmaiden were interviewed, but each man said thanks, but no thanks. That led to the Als going back to the drawing board — at the CFL’s request — and suspend their search for the next GM in La Belle Province.

There is one man who would relish the role: Russ Lande. Former Als GM Jim Popp hired Lande in 2013 and he worked as the Alouettes director of college scouting until 2018 — Kavis Reed let Lande go due to the football operations cap. The 49-year-old Lande has NFL experience as a scout for the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams.

“I can tell you if the opportunity presents itself to where I would have the chance to interview, it would be a true honour. I spent six years with that organization — loved every minute of the organization,” Lande told TSN 690 radio in Montreal.

“The history with Anthony Calvillo and John Bowman and S.J. Green, there is so many great players and they won so many games and so many Grey Cups. I know a lot of the people that still work there. Eric Delauriers who is their head of football operations is one of the best and brightest in the CFL.”

Montreal has been without a full-time general manager since Kavis Reed was fired in July — the league wanted Reed dispatched for months. Joe Mack finished the season on an interim basis while Khari Jones led the club to a 10-8 record and its first post-season berth since 2014.

As was the case for the vast majority of the 2019 season, the current day-to-day management of the team has a committee approach lead by president Patrick Boivin, head coach and offensive coordinator Jones, special advisor Wally Buono as well as Deslauriers the new director of football operations.

“To be able to potentially interview I’d be so honoured. And I know that I’d be able to hit the ground running because I know so many of the people there and I know there skill sets and how good they are at what they do, that we’d be able to keep this thing going,” Lande said.

“And the chance to work with coach Jones who I thought did an unbelievable job with Vernon Adams — built an offence around your quarterback’s strengths — one of the keys to success of coaching. The chance to be able to help him and work with him would be amazing.”