Quarterbacks on the move?

While the focus lately in the Canadian Football League has been on coaches and potential hiring, it could be upstaged by a quarterback carousel that could come into play soon.

Based on conversations with various people in the CFL, Sportsnet.ca has learned that Montreal Alouettes' backup quarterback Adrian McPherson has asked for and received permission from the team to seek out a trade. The obvious destination for McPherson, who has been with the Als since 2008, would be Toronto. He would be reunited with Scott Milanovich, who was the Als' offensive co-ordinator and has been recently hired by Toronto as their new head coach. While the Argos have signed incumbent starter Steven Jyles to a contract extension, Milanovich talked rather passively about him when formally introduced as head coach, saying he had to watch him on film to learn more about him.

With Als' starter Anthony Calvillo announcing last week that he plans to return to the team for another season, McPherson's hopes of becoming a starter would be stalled for another year. He appears to be ready now, and given that he and Milanovich know one another and what each likes to do, it seems obvious he would fit in Toronto. He would certainly get a fair chance to prove himself.

The Argos are not heavily committed financially or otherwise to Jyles. He is slated to make a stipend of $150,000 in 2012 and has already received a $75,000 signing bonus. There had been suggestions the Argos protected themselves by signing Jyles because Hamilton was prepared to go after him if he became a free agent.

Sportsnet.ca has heard the Argos made overtures to Edmonton to acquire starting quarterback Ricky Ray in a trade before moving forward on the Jyles extension.

Ray took a pay cut after the 2010 season, signing a four-year extension in December, and is believed to make about $350,000 a season.

The Tiger-Cats may also have an interest in McPherson because they are expected to purge one, if not both of the team's quarterbacks, veteran Kevin Glenn and backup Quinton Porter. Both struggled with consistency in 2011, and Porter, in particular, failed to grasp his opportunity to become the starter. Glenn had some philosophical differences with head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, beginning in the opening game of the season when he was pulled after throwing several interceptions. The Cats fired Bellefeuille two days after the Grey Cup and are actively searching for a replacement.

If the Cats hire Calgary's offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson, who has interviewed with Saskatchewan and is the frontrunner for the job according to Sportsnet.ca's Arash Madani, it could lead to a trade with the Stamps for quarterback Henry Burris. The veteran pivot lost his starter's job to backup Drew Tate toward the end of the regular season and will clearly be moved because of his salary, which is north of $400,000. It has been suggested that the logical place for Burris would be Hamilton because of its need for a starter and indications the team wants to change its current roster of quarterbacks. The Ticats have tried unsuccessfully via trade and free agency in the last few years to stabilize their shaky quarterback situation. Acquiring Burris would provide more sizzle than McPherson, because even though he played poorly in 2011, he was voted the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2010.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.