REGINA -- CFL Free Agency begins on Tuesday morning, giving the Saskatchewan Roughriders an opportunity to shore up their roster ahead of the 2021 season.

Saskatchewan has nine players hitting the open market on Tuesday, according to the CFL’s free agent list.

The pending free agents list most notably includes national linebacker Cameron Judge, Regina-born punter Jon Ryan and kicker Brett Lauther.

CFL Free Agency opened at 11 a.m. CST on Feb. 9.

MICAH JOHNSON - DL

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have officially brought back defensive lineman Micah Johnson for the 2021 season.

Johnson spent the 2019 season with the Riders, recording 26 tackles and four sacks in 15 games. He signed with the BC Lions in 2020, but did not play a game due to the cancellation of the 2020 season.

EVAN JOHNSON - OL

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Regina-born offensive lineman Evan Johnson.

“It’s really exciting. Playing professional football is a dream come true, and when you get to play for your hometown team, that’s just extra special right there,” Evan Johnson said.

Johnson, an alumnus of Campbell Collegiate, spent the past three seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks. He started all 18 games in 2019.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun being in front of friends and family back home, and wearing the home team colours for a change,” Johnson said.

He was selected in the first round (ninth overall) in the 2017 CFL Draft, after spending his college career playing for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

ELIMIMIAN RETIRES

Linebacker Solomon Elimimian announced he is retiring from professional football, in an editorial written for TSN.

The 34-year-old, 10-year CFL veteran spent the 2019 season with the Roughriders, after playing his first nine years in B.C.

Elimimian finishes his decade long career with 833 tackles, 33 sacks, eight interceptions and nine forced fumbles, in 133 total games. READ MORE.

HERDMAN-REED BROTHERS

The Riders also announced the signings of Canadian linebacker twins Jordan and Justin Herdman-Reed.

Jordan comes to Saskatchewan after three seasons with the BC Lions. In 52 career games with the Lions, he recorded 95 tackles, 44 special teams tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.

Justin spent the past three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, collecting 43 defensive tackles, 26 special teams tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2020.

The Winnipeg-born linebackers spent their collegiate careers at Simon Fraser University.

OTHER SIGNINGS

CTV News Regina’s Brendan Ellis and Colton Wiens will be tweeting live updates as signings happen.

 

EXTENDED PLAYERS

To start the offseason, the Roughriders had more than 30 pending free agents on their roster. Over the past few weeks, the team has locked up several key players through the 2021 season.

The Riders re-signed veteran defensive back Ed Gainey, who was set to become a free agent. The 30-year-old has played with Saskatchewan since 2016. In 2017, Gainey became the first CFL player since 1986 to record four-interceptions in a single game.

In December, the organization agreed to a one-year contract extension for defensive back Nick Marshall, a key piece on the Riders secondary.

The Riders re-signed many other notable pending free agents on the offensive side of the ball, like receivers Jordan Williams-Lambert, Kyran Moore and Shaq Evans. Saskatchewan also extended 2019 West Division Most Outstanding player, quarterback Cody Fajardo, through the 2022 season.

Last week, the Riders released defensive end Charleston Hughes, after not being able to reach an agreement on an extension. Hughes signed with the Toronto Argonauts shortly after his release.

With files from CTV News Regina’s Claire Hanna