C-F-L Free Agency has arrived.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, there have been more 2025 members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders being confirmed as moving to other teams than the Green and White are signing from elsewhere. The Riders inked Dutch linebacker Tyron Vrede, who has played the previous five seasons with Ottawa, mostly on special teams. In addition, Saskatchewan officially signed 32-year-old American defensive lineman James Vaughters, who was with Winnipeg last year. Also, the Roughriders signed a trio of American hopefuls, new to the C-F-L, who are expected to be at training camp in Saskatoon, in receivers Freddie Swain and Juwann Winfree as well as running back Peny Boone.
However, pried away from the Green and White are Global defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado by Ottawa; American receiver Joe Robustelli by Edmonton, Canadian offensive lineman Braydon Noll by Montreal; veteran American kick returner Mario Alford by Hamilton; American linebacker C-J Reavis by Ottawa; Canadian receiver Tommy Nield by Winnipeg and Hamilton signed American offensive tackle Trevor Reid, who was with the Riders in 2024 and earned an N-F-L shot that was derailed by injuries. Following are news releases from the Roughriders about their signings…..
DATE: February 10, 2026
RELEASE TIME: IMMEDIATELY
RELEASE: SR26-40
RIDERS ADD PROVEN PASS RUSHER JAMES VAUGHTERS
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American defensive lineman James Vaughters.
Vaughters (6’1-256) played 17 games for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2025, recording 36 defensive tackles, including four tackles for loss, along with eight special teams tackles, six sacks, one knockdown and two fumble recoveries — one of which he returned for a touchdown in Week 8 against Toronto. The 32-year-old also suited up for the East Semi-Final, adding one defensive tackle.
Prior to his time in Winnipeg, the Chicago, Illinois native had two stints with the Calgary Stampeders (2017-18, 2023-24). Over 57 games, he tallied 97 defensive tackles, 21 sacks and three forced fumbles. He won a Grey Cup with the Stamps in 2018.
Vaughters signed with the Chicago Bears in January 2019 and appeared in 17 games over two seasons. He later joined the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, playing 10 games. In 27 NFL appearances, he registered 33 tackles, including two tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, three sacks and one forced fumble.
Collegiately, Vaughters played four seasons at Stanford (2011-14), appearing in 51 games and totaling 125 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, four pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
DATE: February 10, 2026
RELEASE TIME: IMMEDIATELY
RELEASE: SR26-41
RIDERS ADD VETERAN GLOBAL LB TYRON VREDE
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Global linebacker Tyron Vrede.
Vrede (6’0-230) spent the previous five seasons with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, after being selected by the Club in the second round, 10th overall, of the 2021 CFL Global Draft.
Consistent in his play on both defence and special teams, the Norwegian has appeared in 55 regular season games and registered 41 defensive tackles, 35 special teams tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
Collegiately, Vrede played two seasons (2018-19) at North Dakota, appearing in 22 games as a Fighting Hawk. He earned 55 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and two pass deflections. Prior to North Dakota, he played at Garden City Community College – where he made the switch to linebacker from defensive back and posted 28 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. He began his collegiate career at West Hills College Coalinga.
DATE: February 10, 2026
RELEASE TIME: IMMEDIATELY
RELEASE: SR26-39
RIDERS ADD TO THE OFFENCE WITH RECEIVERS SWAIN, WINFREE, RB BOONE
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American receivers Freddie Swain and Juwann Winfree and American running back Peny Boone.
Swain (6’0 – 199) was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round (214th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. Over two seasons (2020-21) with Seattle, he caught 38 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 33 games, including nine starts.
As a second-year Seahawk, Swain caught 25 passes for 343 yards and four TDs, carried the ball five times for 32 yards and returned 22 punts for 189 yards. Exceptional in open space, six of his 25 catches in 2021 were for a gain of 20-plus yards, and he twice exceeded 40 yards. Of his 343 receiving yards, 206 were gained after the catch. The year before, 102 of his 159 receiving yards followed the catch.
The Florida-born Swain played in four games during the 2022 NFL season, spent with the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos. He spent time with the Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2024.
Before beginning his professional football career, Swain spent four collegiate seasons with the University of Florida Gators. In 47 collegiate games, he caught 68 passes for 996 yards and 15 touchdowns. Seven of those scores were registered during a senior year in which he caught 38 passes for 517 yards. Swain also reached the end zone as a punt returner, scoring on an 85-yarder against Colorado State as a junior in 2018. That scoring sprint tied Swain for the second-longest punt-return TD in school history.
Winfree (6’1-210) was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round, 187th overall, of the 2019 NFL Draft. Winfree appeared in three games in his rookie season, before joining the Green Bay Packers from 2020-22 and Indianapolis in 2023-24. Over that period, he appeared in 23 regular season games, registering nine receptions for 75 yards. He went on to spend time with the Houston Texans in 2025.
Collegiately, the New York native spent three seasons at Colorado (2016-18) appearing in 20 games. He earned 649 receiving yards on 49 receptions – and average of 13.5 yards per catch – and four touchdowns. Prior to Colorado, Winfree suited up for Coffeyville Community College (2015) and the University of Maryland (2014).
Boone (6’1-232) joins the Green and White after spending a portion of the 2025 season on the Toronto Argonauts’ practice roster. The Michigan native played his final collegiate season at the University of Central Florida, appearing in seven games and recording 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Knights.
Prior to UCF, Boone was the star of Toledo’s backfield from 2022 to 2023 where he developed into one of the most productive running backs in the country. In 2023, he was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,400 yards, ranking him eighth in NCAA, and 15 touchdowns, which ranked him 11th. That same season he averaged 7.2 yards per rush attempt and 107.7 yards per game. Over 26 games with the Rockets, Boone amassed 1,849 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Boone began his collegiate career at the University of Maryland, suiting up in 14 games from 2020 to 2022 and recording 258 rushing yards and two touchdowns with the Terrapins.
