HAMILTON (CP) - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have released veteran quarterback Khari Jones on the same day they signed import quarterback Kevin Eakin on Wednesday.
Jones, the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2001, joined the Ticats as a free agent on July 26th. The former Blue Bomber, Stampeder and Eskimo dressed for eight games as the backup quarterback in Hamilton, throwing for 406 yards and two touchdowns.
"It was time," Ticats head coach Greg Marshall told the Toronto sports radio station The Fan 590. "You know if we were fighting for a playoff spot then he'd be one of the guys that we would look to."
Eakin, a six-foot, 219-pound import, completed 105 of his 180 pass attempts for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe last season. Eakin, 24, finished with 1,299 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games.
"We believe that Kevin possesses many of the qualities needed to be a successful quarterback in this league," Marshall said in a release. "He's got a great arm, quick feet and strong leadership abilities."
Eakin attended training camp with the New York Jets and was one of the team's final cuts earlier this month.
Jones, 34, was the league's top player in 2001 when his Winnipeg Blue Bombers went 14-4 in 2001 and made an appearance in the Grey Cup. He led the CFL that year with 4,545 passing yards and threw for 30 touchdowns.
In 2002, he bettered both marks, throwing for 5,334 and a Bombers club record of 46 passing touchdowns.
Jones was traded to Calgary with four games left in the 2004 season