He is the biggest fish still out there in the CFL free agent pool, but he's not sure if he's going to swim north or south of the border.

Linebacker Rennie Curran, who played very well over the last two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos, is still trying to land an NFL contract, and he's willing to wait until every team tells him it doesn't need his services.

"This has been my lifelong dream," Curran said Friday from Atlanta. "I love the CFL and I love the opportunity it presented me with, but I want to know at the end of the day that I did everything that I could to exhaust this opportunity. If it doesn't work out ... I loved it up there."

Curran had an eventful two years with the Eskimos, notching 123 tackles, 17 special teams tackles, four tackles for a loss, six pass knockdowns, two sacks, two interceptions, one touchdown and one blocked punt. Teams would love to have him, although the Eskimos have said they're moving on full-time with J.C. Sherritt as their middle linebacker.

Curran's agent confirmed on Friday the Eskimos, Roughriders, Bombers and RedBlacks put in calls about his client, but the Bombers and RedBlacks have said they were never in on the bidding for the former Georgia Bulldog. That makes it look like the Roughriders would be most interested in Curran, who would probably play weak-side linebacker in Regina due to the off-season acquisition of middle man Shea Emry.

Curran, who is only 26, said Friday he is "in talks" with a couple of NFL teams but hasn't had any official workouts. He appeared in nine games for the Tennessee Titans in 2010 and registered seven tackles, but he was released before the 2011 campaign. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers then cut him after their 2012 training camp.

"If a team presents me with a legit opportunity, of course I'm going to weigh that and take that into consideration, but I would like to avoid putting myself in a similar situation that I was in previously with Tampa Bay with the new coaching staff," Curran said.

Curran signed with the Bucs in the spring of 2012, only to watch them draft heavily at his position. He just wants a real chance to compete.

"I'd like to kind of have more of an insight on knowing what situation I'm getting into before I sign with a team," he said. "I'm just training and preparing for when the opportunity does present itself."

He's not worried about waiting too long and missing out on another CFL contract if he can't find employment in the four-down loop.

"I really don't have any concern there," he said. "Whatever opportunity is going to be for me will be for me at the end of the day. That's just me as a believer. My faith ... I feel like things are always going to work out.

"I have to know that I exhausted every opportunity that I could to play at the highest level. If I miss out on an opportunity because of that, then I can live with that, knowing that I did the best I possibly could."

TOP PROSPECTS MISSING

The CFL last week released the list of players who will take part in its regional and national combines at the end of the month, and three of the top four rated prospects won't be strutting their stuff in front of the league's brass March 28 and 29.

Offensive linemen Brett Boyko and Alex Mateas, who are the top two prospects on the latest CFL Scouting Bureau list, and running back Tyler Varga, who is No. 4, won't be in Toronto.

Boyko, who played at UNLV, has his pro day next Thursday, but he is expecting to have visits from NFL teams in the weeks following. He also took part in the NFL combine last month.

Mateas and Varga, meanwhile, have their respective pro days at UConn and Yale on March 31, which is only two days after the CFL combine ends, so they will be getting ready for those workouts instead.

OVER THE MOUNTAINS

It didn't take Eric Taylor very long to find work.

Just a few days after the B.C. Lions sent the 33-year-old defensive tackle to the unemployment line, the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders scooped him up.

Taylor, who was released on Monday along with running back/returner Stefan Logan, is familiar with Stamps defensive co-ordinator Rich Stubler from their two seasons together with the Lions.

RETURNING SOON?

Running back Kory Sheets, who was named the Grey Cup MVP in 2013 with the Roughriders, let it be known Friday on Twitter that the Oakland Raiders won't be bringing him back for the 2015 NFL season.

Sheets signed a free agent deal with the Raiders last winter but tore his Achilles tendon during a pre-season game. He will be a restricted free agent on Tuesday, which means he would have to clear NFL waivers.