While an optimist might point out that the Edmonton Elks went 7-4 to close the season after a dreadful 0-7 start, the team enters the CFL off-season with a lot of questions.

Will interim general manager Geroy Simon and interim head coach Jarious Jackson, who replaced former coach and general manager Chris Jones five games into the regular season, keep their jobs in 2025?

With McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s one-year contract now expired and Tre Ford not under contract for 2025, who will play quarterback moving forward?

As the Elks cleaned out their lockers Monday, those questions remained unanswered.

The word “interim” is almost as common among the Elks as “football.” So it was only fitting that interim CEO and President Rick LeLacheur told the media that the plan was for the team to first hire a permanent president and then confirm the general manager and coach positions- leader for 2025.

The goal is to have this all in place by the Gray Cup on November 17.

“We are a week closer than we were a week ago to a new president,” LeLacheur said. “It’s going to happen pretty soon. We’re down to the final interviews and discussions.

“We will proceed in the usual way. We’re going to have a president, and then the president will be involved with the general manager, and then the general manager will be involved with 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’t made the playoffs since 2019.

It is clear that they want to keep their jobs.

“It’s an exciting time,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, you know there’s an opportunity, right?

“Of course I want it to work in my favor, but at the same time I don’t control that. My job is to go out and try to win football games every week. That’s what me and the staff let’s try.”

Simon said the organization needed to be stabilized before the team could be built.

“It wasn’t just about 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.

“It’s hard to wait right now, but I’m operating like I’m going to be a general manager in the future. I’m starting to look at building this team into a championship organization. »

Whether it’s Simon or someone else, the general manager’s first order of business will be to fix the quarterback situation. Ford is a fan favorite. The Canadian quarterback was a first-round pick of the Elks in 2022, but has since bounced in and out of the starting position.

Injuries 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 “we want Tre!” » during Elks home games, it wasn’t a decision that was unanimously supported by fans.

Ford regained the starting job, got injured, then hit the home stretch. His ability to make scoring plays and determine what appears to be sure sacks will make him a free agent target. And he couldn’t commit if his future was in Edmonton or elsewhere.

“I’m not 100 percent sure,” he said. “It’s not my choice. I have to see how the cards fall, you know? I have to talk to my agent and see what everyone says and move on from there.”

He said the sooner the Elks get management in order, the easier it will be to make a decision.

“You need someone who’s going to get things done, don’t you?” And that’s kind of the biggest piece, and then the other pieces come in. It’s all moving forward. But I feel like we’re at a bit of an impasse right now, when we don’t know who it is.

The team announced this weekend that running back Justin Rankin had signed a new one-year contract after totaling 765 yards in 11 games during his rookie season. That likely means the team will move on from running back Kevin Brown, whose contract is up and who finished the season on the practice roster.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 28, 2024.