All-time CFL receiving leader Geroy Simon is off to the Riders.

The B.C. Lions' decision to let star slotback Geroy Simon explore the trade market produced results incredibly quickly, as Simon was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders Thursday in exchange for wide receiver Justin Harper and a third-round pick. The trade came less than 24 hours after the initial news that the Lions were shopping Simon, and it could leave shockwaves across the CFL landscape. In B.C., there will be long debates about if the Lions did the right thing with a franchise legend who just happens to be the CFL's all-time leading receiver. In Saskatchewan, though, this looks like a substantial upgrade to the Riders' receiving corps, and one that could make their aerial attack one to be reckoned with this season.

Has Geroy Simon been to his last celebration with the B.C. Lions?

The B.C. Lions' decision to let veteran slotback Geroy Simon gauge the interest in his services on the trade market follows in the vein of their recent release of Byron Parker and Arland Bruce (who have since landed in Montreal), as it's clearly an indication that they feel they can get Simon's production at a lower cost from other players. However, doing this with Simon is somewhat more questionable than with those other players. Simon will be 38 this September, and it's certainly possible that he may not be capable of serving as a top CFL receiver any more, in which case B.C. may be making the right call. There's also the very real chance that Simon can still be a dominant player, though, and that could lead to this being remembered as a significant mistake by the Lions. Either way, this might be one of the biggest stories of this offseason.

Defensive coordinator Chris Jones will be with the Argos for a while longer.The man many saw as the frontrunner for the newly-open Montreal Alouettes' head coaching job is now out of the race. The Toronto Argonauts announced Tuesday afternoon that defensive coordinator/assistant general manager Chris Jones, the man of mystery whose defence played a key role in the Argos' Grey Cup victory, has signed a contract extension with the team and withdrawn his candidacy for the Montreal position. It's an interesting move on Jones' part, as this looked like a natural time for him to take a head-coaching role (and he wouldn't seem likely to get one in Toronto any time soon, as Scott Milanovich has done extremely well there so far) and he appeared to be one of the top candidates the Als were considering. Of course, there's no guarantee Jones would have been selected as Montreal's head coach, but his decision to sign a new deal in Toronto instead before the Alouettes' search wraps up means they'll have to look elsewhere.

This slide from UCLA shows the buildup of tau protein (red) in two former NFL players' brains.While concussions are perhaps the most crucial issue facing football at all levels today, most of the discussion of their long-term after-effects (and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in particular) has centred around post-mortem autopsies of former players. That may be about to change, as a new UCLA study appears to have found the first evidence of CTE in living players, and that could have huge implications for football in both the U.S. and Canada. From ESPN's Mark Fainara-Wada and Steve Fainaru, who have been doing great work on the concussions front, here's why this new study (published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Tuesday, available as a PDF here) matters so much:

Brain scans performed on five former NFL players revealed images of the protein that causes football-related brain damage -- the first time researchers have identified signs of the crippling disease in living players.

Researchers who conducted the pilot study at UCLA described the findings as a significant step toward being able to diagnose the disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in living patients.

"I've been saying that identifying CTE in a living person is the Holy Grail for this disease and for us to be able make advances in treatment," said Dr. Julian Bailes, co-director of NorthShore Neurological Institute in Evanston, Ill., and one of the study's co-authors. "It's not definitive and there's a lot we still need to discover to help these people, but it's very compelling. It's a new discovery."

The study examined five former NFL players using a patented brain-imaging tool, all of whom had sustained at least one recorded concussion during their careers, and it found tau protein (the key evidence for CTE) in each of their brains. What's interesting is how differently they've been affected, though. Fred McNeill, a linebacker who played with the Minnesota Vikings for 12 years, is already suffering from early-onset dementia at 59 and is largely looked after by his family and caregivers, while 65-year old former Chargers, Bengals and Chiefs' quarterback Wayne Clark said "I don't feel like I'm suffering from any real symptoms at this point."

George Cortez is the Riders' new offensive coordinator.

While the Montreal Alouettes were bringing in well-known players Monday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made a splashy hire of their own—at offensive coordinator. The Riders have brought in former Hamilton head coach and offensive coordinator George Cortez, who was turfed by the Tiger-Cats in December after just one season. It's a big move, and it's one that could work out very well. Offensive coordinator might be the perfect CFL role for Cortez, and if he's able to translate the success his offence had in Hamilton to the prairies, it could be an excellent year for the Roughriders.

Former B.C. CB Byron Parker (28) is taking his ball-hawking skills to Montreal.

Marc Trestman and Marcel Desjardins may be gone, but Alouettes' fans shouldn't trash the posters just yet, as there certainly won't be any lack of big names at Montreal's training camp this year. Cornerback Byron Parker and wide receiver Arland Bruce III, both former league all-stars recently cut by the B.C. Lions, are headed to the Alouettes, and they'll be joined by one-time Hamilton starting quarterback Quinton Porter. These signings may or may not wind up making an impact for the Alouettes, but they'll certainly provide some extra storylines to keep an eye on in camp.

Former Ticats' GM and current Als' assistant GM Marcel Desjardins may be off to Ottawa.

(Update, January 28: Desjardins is expected to be announced as the Ottawa GM Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Arash Madani, The Ottawa Sun's Tim Baines and The Ottawa Citizen's Don Campbell. Read on for our take on his hire from when it first came out on Jan. 21.)

After a lengthy search that produced some unexpected candidates, Ottawa's as-yet-unnamed expansion CFL team has reportedly hired the general manager most initially predicted they'd land. According to TSN (and the Ottawa Citizen, and the Montreal Gazette), it looks like Jeff Hunt's Ottawa group has settled on Montreal assistant general manager Marcel Desjardins as the man to put their team together for the anticipated 2014 return. Desjardins' work will start well before then, though, as the Ottawa team will be able to select up to four NCAA underclassmen in this year's Canadian draft (likely in April or May) and will have to start preparing for the eventual expansion draft next December. Desjardins has a strong resume and should be well-suited for the job, which is why he was the name many figured would eventually land it. However, his departure leaves yet another void for the Alouettes to fill.

The B.C. Lions released Byron Parker (L) and Arland Bruce III Friday.

It certainly isn't common to see a CFL team release two former all-stars at once, but the B.C. Lions' decision Friday to cut ties with cornerback Byron Parker and wide receiver Arland Bruce III makes some sense. That's no reflection on Parker or Bruce: both have impressive CFL resumes (Parker was selected as a league all-star in 2006, 2007 and 2011, Bruce earned that same honour in 2006, 2009 and 2010) and were important contributors for the Lions last year. However, in a league with a limited salary cap ($4.4 million per team in 2013), you often have to make tough personnel decisions, and it's quite probable that the Lions' stockpile of young talent combined with the expensive extension they announced for quarterback Travis Lulay this week convinced them Parker and Bruce were expendable. It's a decision that may or may not work out for B.C., but the rationale behind it makes sense. From ace beat reporter Lowell Ullrich of The Province: