REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders reserve the right to be Austin-tatious.
Optimally, they would love to sign Kent Austin to a lucrative contract — which would almost certainly be the largest ever awarded to a CFL head coach — and turn some heads in the process. It would be a showy display of financial might and negotiating finesse.
Such a coup, if it can be engineered by general manager Brendan Taman, would signify that the Roughriders mean business in their quest to atone for a miserable 2011 season.
It would also represent a dramatic departure from the past.
Nearly a generation ago, the Roughriders lost Austin because they could not afford him. At his peak as a CFL quarterback, he was making $200,000 per annum. He demanded a trade, principally because quarterbacks of his calibre commanded at least twice as much. The B.C. Lions eventually came through with a contract in the vicinity of $400,000.
Roughriders history has shown that head coaches can be wooed away with the promise of more money. It happened when Bob Shaw joined the Toronto Argonauts in 1965, and when his successor as Saskatchewan’s field boss — Eagle Keys — moved to B.C. after the 1970 campaign.
Don Matthews also received a healthy raise when he, like Austin, left Regina after the 1993 season. The Don soon resurfaced in Baltimore, where the American dollars were as plentiful as the victories.
Matthews’ final season with the Roughriders included a ticket blitz that was held in response to a sluggish start at the gate. Six years earlier — a few months before Austin joined the Green and White — a telethon was required to keep the franchise afloat. Another desperation telethon was held 10 years later.
At the time, it was difficult to imagine the Roughriders winning a bidding war for a Bubba Wyche rookie card, let alone someone of Austin’s ilk.
Austin played an integral role in the changing climate. The Roughriders’ fortunes skyrocketed in 2007, when Austin guided Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup title in his first (and heretofore only) season as a CFL head coach. The team’s revenues quickly reached the stratosphere, and the windfall continued long after Austin resigned in January of 2008 to become the offensive co-ordinator at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi.
After two seasons at Ole Miss, Austin was again on the move. He has spent the past two years as the head football coach at Cornell University, and is apparently happy with life on-campus in Ithaca, N.Y.
That has not deterred Taman from seeking, and receiving, permission from the Cornell brass to approach Austin about possibly returning to the CFL. To date, Taman has been pursuing this matter with Austin’s agent, Gil Scott. The purpose of the discussions has been to ascertain whether Scott’s client has any interest in rejoining the Roughriders and, if so, what the expenditure might be.
The suspicion here is that at least $600,000 per year would be required. Austin would have to supplant the Montreal Alouettes’ Marc Trestman, who is said to earn around $500,000, as the CFL’s highest-paid head coach.
Such lavish spending would upset the CFL’s salary structure, and likely the governors of the Roughriders’ rivals. But, honestly, isn’t it about time that the Roughriders wielded some financial clout?
The telethons are but a memory. The Roughriders announced a $6.6-million profit on their 2010 operations. Even though the 2011 season was a mess, president-CEO Jim Hopson recently revealed that the 2011 revenues will be the second-highest in team history.
Due to the salary cap, there is only so much money that can be invested in players. Coaching salaries, however, are not regulated. So what is to deter the Roughriders from using an advantage that was unimaginable until then-GM Eric Tillman hired Austin?
The Roughriders have to pursue Austin — the best possible coaching candidate — from the standpoint of optics. More importantly, they are courting Austin because of his sparkling resume.
There is another factor at play — apparent interest by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Roughriders can afford Austin. What they simply cannot afford is for Hamilton to swoop in and hire him. Such a development would be an embarrassment to the entire Roughriders organization.
If he opts to stay at Cornell, or accepts another coaching position in the United States, fair enough. But if he should sign with (gulp) Hamilton ...?
As much as the Roughriders would like to hit a home run by landing a marquee head coach, they must also guard against the worst-case scenario — Austin to Hamilton. Hence, the Roughriders have to see this process through to its culmination, whenever and whatever that may be, and ensure that any offer they tender is superior to that of Hamilton.
In the meantime, Taman continues to interview and evaluate other head-coaching candidates who emanate from the ranks of the CFL’s assistants. On Thursday, for example, Calgary Stampeders offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson was in Regina to meet with Taman and assistant GM Jeremy O’Day. And who knows? Corey Chamblin, Richie Hall, Mike Benevides, Tim Burke, Mike O’Shea or either of the Dickenson brothers (Dave and Craig) may end up having an Austin-like effect on a Roughriders team that is desperately in need of rejuvenation.
But until Austin himself says “yay’’ or “nay,’’ Taman cannot consummate an agreement with anybody. He can pare down the number of candidates and emerge with a short list.
The shortest list, however, consists of Kent Austin. Period. End of paragraph.
Austin has not been an employee of the Roughriders for nearly four years, yet his influence is still
immense. For the time being, he dictates the timing as Taman and his cohorts concentrate on addressing the head-coaching vacancy.
The Roughriders can only hope that Austin’s control of their agenda extends to 2012 and well beyond.
rvanstone@leaderpost.com
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