REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have released American linebacker Derrick Moncrief. He was set to become a free agent in February.
So O’Day fires Derrick Moncrief. Why. Lower production. Hmmm. The Rider D backfield was so porous that Derrick was playing multiple positions due to poor backfield talent. He was a stalwart volunteer in the community yet O Day deems expendable. Well there goes my season tickets again. Wrong guy fired. Sheeesh.
First off, turmoil at the top of not…you are assuming he was fired. You have no idea if the team released him early because of just Cause it put right fired him for whay ever reason
he may just want to try other teams or NFL options or the other two leagues. If a player and or his agent ask for a release early BEFORE FREE AGENCY just about every single team if in fact all teams give that release. Every team loses players the fans want or the team wishes would stay. It is the nature of the cfl and common place on all teams. Fans do not know everything like they think they know
Point taken.
On further thought, while we don’t have all the facts, the press release was open to many interpretations thus at best confusing.
But, what management fails to understand is that our dollars and the receipt of same by the Riders is totally under our discretion not theirs.
I can forgive the Riders with a clarification publicly.
I was upset when the Elks let him go, I’d take him back in a minute.
He looked good on our green. Someone is gonna pick up. Usually money talks in these situations and his agent most likely thinks that extra money is out there somewhere
I wonder if he has a UFL contract pending?
did you manage to get your tickets back?
No and I’m not renewing them until O day is gone.
Didn’t see that coming, MonCrief probably didn’t either.
Unless he asked for his release.
Huge loss for us whatever the reason.
O’Day, he asks for player loyalty yet he equals Jones in being disloyal to his fans and his players
In 2019 Zack Evans was released & Rider Nation was up in arms - teams were just waiting to snatch him up. The fact is he came home off an all star season and was a dud in Regina. At 29 nobody wanted him. Remember Brackenbridge - an all-star one year & looked like he didn’t know one end of the football from another the next. It happens.
We’ve seen the same with hometown boy Evan Johnson. Another all-star from Ottawa who has been anything but since coming home. Moncrief was hopelessly lost when moved back to DB & teams picked on him regularly. Are teams going to rush to grab him now that he is a FA? I’m not so sure - 30 isn’t that old but he was bad last year. The Riders did him a favour by releasing him early to find another team.
He’s a good guy. I hope he gets a chance elsewhere but I don’t see him getting a big pay cheque anymore. If I’m wrong, good for me. I’d be happy for him.
See my comments below. Here’s what 3DN had to say about Moncrief, their choice of the player on the Rider team to walk away from.
“When Derrick Moncrief returned to Saskatchewan in 2022, he openly stated his desire to put down roots in the province long term. Unfortunately for him, the strongside linebacker might not have a say in that future after a 2023 season in which he played well below expectations. Not only did the 30-year-old not look like a former all-star, he was the active weak point in the Riders’ secondary at times. It is clear that the recently extended C.J. Reavis is the future at the position and Moncrief is merely in the way.”
And so it occurred a few days after this article came out. Unfortunately for all our teams there are going to be players cut who we don’t want to see go. C’est la Vie. 
True story
…and sometimes guys look good because of the guys around them…
You guys have two very good DC’s now, Shivers and HC Mace. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more changes in upcoming weeks as they work through the lineup.
I honestly think Shivers is gone. Mace being from a defensive background, he might want to take Willy Fields or Kevin Eiben with him from Toronto.
There will certain to be changes some planed and some by people leaving.