EDMONTON 鈥� While an optimist may point out that the Edmonton Elks went 7-4 to close out the season after a dreadful 0-7 start, the team heads into the CFL off-season with plenty of questions.
Will interim general manager Geroy Simon and interim head coach Jarious Jackson, who replaced former coach and GM Chris Jones five games into the regular season, keep their jobs in 2025?
With McLeod Bethel-Thompson鈥檚 one-year deal now expired, and Tre Ford not under contract for 2025, who will play quarterback for going forward?
As the Elks cleaned out their lockers Monday, these questions have not been answered.
The word "interim" is almost as common with the Elks as "football." So it was only fitting that interim CEO and president Rick LeLacheur told the media that the plan is for the team to hire a permanent president first, then move onto confirming the GM and head coach positions for 2025.
The goal is to have this all in place by the Grey Cup on Nov. 17.
"We鈥檙e a week closer than we were a week ago to a new president," LeLacheur said. "It鈥檚 going to happen fairly soon. We鈥檙e in some final interviews and discussions.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do it the way that is normally done. We鈥檙e going to get a president, and then the president will have involvement in the general manager, and then the general manager will have involvement in the coaching staff."
Simon and Jackson took over when the team fired Jones after an 0-5 start. The team had a winning record after the change, which is encouraging for a franchise that hasn鈥檛 been to the playoffs since 2019.
It鈥檚 clear they want to keep their jobs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time,鈥� said Jackson. "At the end of the day, you know there鈥檚 opportunity, right?
"Of course I want it to go in my favour, but, at the same time, I don鈥檛 control that. My job is to go out and try to win football games each and every week. That鈥檚 what myself and the staff try to do."
Simon said the organization needed to be stabilized before the team could build.
鈥淭here was more than just trying to win. We had to stabilize things, and try to build from there," he said. "I think we did a good job of that.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to wait right now, but I鈥檓 operating as if I am going to be the general manager moving forward. I鈥檓 starting to look to build this team to be a championship organization."
Whether it鈥檚 Simon or someone else, the GM鈥檚 first job will be addressing the quarterback situation. Ford is a fan favourite. The Canadian quarterback was an Elks鈥� first-round draft pick in 2022, but has since been bounced in and out of the starting position.
Injuries have played a role, but Jones made the decision before the 2024 season to bring in the veteran Bethel-Thompson and move Ford to the bench. Judging by the repeated calls of 鈥渨e want Tre!鈥� during Elks鈥� home games, it was not a decision that was unanimously supported by the fan base.
Ford got the starting job back, got hurt, and then started down the final stretch. His ability to make highlight-reel plays and scramble out what look to be sure sacks will make him a free-agent target. And, he couldn鈥檛 commit if his future lies in Edmonton or somewhere else.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure,鈥� he said 鈥淚t's not my call. I鈥檝e got to see how the cards fall, see? I鈥檝e got to talk to my agent and see what everybody is saying and go from there."
He said the faster the Elks get the management house in order, the more it will help the decision along.
鈥淵ou need someone who is going to be making the moves, right? And that鈥檚 kind of the biggest piece, then the other pieces fall in. Everything moves forward. But I feel we鈥檙e kind of stalled right now, when you don鈥檛 know who that is.鈥�
The team announced over the weekend that running back Justin Rankin has inked a new one-year deal after rushing for 765 yards in 11 games in his rookie season. That likely means the team will move on from running back Kevin Brown, whose contract is up and finished the season on the practice roster.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
