Star wide receiver Eugene Lewis won’t be back with the Montreal Alouettes.
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On Tuesday, hours before the Canadian Football League (CFL) free agent market opened, the 29-year-old athlete bid farewell to the organization and its supporters.
“The Alouettes will always be in my heart and I will never forget how important this community was to me. It was very difficult to make that decision, but I had to take a leap of faith and trust God. See you soon Montreal,” Lewis said on his social media.
“Geno” also took the time to thank his former teammates, coaches and members of the organization. He also had very good words for the Alouettes fans.
“This city and the fans welcomed me in a very special way and I will always be grateful to the amazing province of Quebec.”
With the moose
Later in the day, the Edmonton Elks announced they had offered Lewis a two-year contract.
The Alberta organization did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but 3DownNations claimed that the recipient became the highest-paid non-quarterback player in the CFL. “Geno” would make $320,000 per season.
The American joined the Alouettes in 2017, but only really achieved star status two years later. Last year he had the best campaign of his career, setting career highs in catches (91), yards (1,303) and touchdowns (10). “Geno” was also crowned 2022 CFL East Division MVP.
Harris and Wieneke in Saskatchewan
Quarterback Trevor Harris has also decided to leave the nest and signed a two-year contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 36-year-old veteran started most of the Alouettes’ games in 2022 and led the team to the final in the East. He had come to the “sparrows” the previous year through a trade with the elks.
Harris will not end up alone in Regina, as wide receiver Jake Wieneke has also agreed with the “Riders”. The 28-year-old will wear the colors of a second CFL team that came to the racetrack in 2019 with the “Als”.
Picket in Toronto
On the other side of the ball, the Alouettes also lost an important part of their defense. In fact, Adarius Pickett has decided to join the Toronto Argonauts.
The UCLA Bruins’ product was signed by Maciocia in 2021. The GM saw something in him and promoted him to linebacker last year. The experiment was a great success and Pickett was dominant.
The California native had 73 tackles, four quarterback sacks, two fumbles, an interception and a touchdown in 16 regular season games.
Defensive linemen Thomas Costigan and Michael Wakefield have also found new teams. The former will accompany Pickett to the Queen City, while the latter will return with the Ottawa Redblacks.