The Toronto Argonauts have officially named Jim Barker as their new Director of Player Personnel. 3DownNation Late last week he announced that he was joining the team, recruiting players.
“Returning to the Argos feels like coming home,” Barker said in a statement Monday. “This organization means a lot to me and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to help it move forward. We have what it takes to achieve something special and I'm looking forward to getting to work.”
This is Barker's fourth stint with the Argonauts. The 69-year-old last served as a senior advisor to the team in 2022 to fill the void left by suspension of vice president of player personnel John Murphy. He stepped down from that position in 2023 to take over the rankings. CFL on TSN panel, but did not appear on broadcasts during the 2025 season.
Barker was the team's offensive coordinator from 1997 to 1998, head coach in 1999, 2010 and 2011, and general manager from 2011 to 2016. In 2010, he was named CFL Coach of the Year. Barker won three Gray Cups with the organization and five overall during his CFL career.
The Pasadena, California native previously worked as a football operations consultant with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, an assistant coach with the Montreal Alouettes, and the head coach and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders. His career record is 29-43 as a coach and 77-84-1 as a GM.
Argos recently hired longtime Stampeders coach and executive John Hufnagel as a senior advisor head coach Mike Miller and general manager Pinball Clemons. Barker served as general manager and then director of player personnel for five seasons while Hufnagel was the head coach in Calgary, winning the Gray Cup together in 2008.
In 2025, the Toronto Argonauts finished third in the East Division standings with a 5–13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Franchise quarterback Chad Kelly was unable to play the entire season due to a broken leg he suffered in the Eastern final last year, giving way to Nick Arbuckle, who threw for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions to be named by the team. Most Outstanding Player candidate.
The Argonauts ranked seventh in net offense, sixth in net defense and seventh in turnover differential of minus-eight. The club's leading rusher was Spencer Brown with 314 yards, the leading receiver was Dejon Brissett with 907 yards, and the leading tackler was Cameron Judge with 79 tackles. Toronto ranked ninth in attendance with an average attendance of 15,109, down 0.1 percent from the previous year.
