Anthony Lanier II is staying with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
According to a CFL source, the defensive lineman will be returning to the Riders on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $250,000. The contract includes a $100,000 signing bonus and $10,000 bonus for reporting to training camp and passing a physical.
The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as the Roughriders have not formally announced the agreement.
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, registering 32 tackles, nine sacks and two 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.
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.
–With files from the Canadian Press–
