Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly (12) celebrates with senior adviser Jim Barker after defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 109th Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
December 08, 2025 - 7:34 AM
TORONTO — The retooling of the Toronto Argonauts front office continues with the return of a very familiar face.
The CFL team announced Monday that Jim Barker is back for a fourth stint with the Toronto Argonauts, this time as the director of player personnel.
Barker has won three of his five Grey Cup rings with the Argonauts and has spent time with the team as a coach, general manager and special adviser.
“Coming back to the Argos feels like coming home," Barker said in a release. "This organization means a great deal to me, and I’m excited for the opportunity to help guide it forward. We have the pieces to accomplish something special, and I’m eager to get to work."
Monday's announcement comes four days after the Argos brought in another five-time Grey Cup winner, former Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel, as a special adviser to general manager Mike (Pinball) Clemons and new head coach Mike Miller.
Barker began his CFL coaching career as an assistant with Montreal in 1996. He joined Toronto as an offensive co-ordinator and offensive line coach the next season, helping the Argonauts win a Grey Cup.
He was promoted to head coach in 1999 — at the time the youngest head coach in the league at 34 — before leaving in 2001 to be an offensive co-ordinator with the XFL-champion Los Angeles Xtreme.
Barker rejoined the Argos as head coach in 2010, leading the franchise to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and earning CFL coach of the year honours. He assumed general manager duties on Dec. 10, 2010, and his blockbuster trade with Edmonton for quarterback Ricky Ray was instrumental in the Argos' 35-22 win over Calgary in the 100th CFL Grey Cup game in 2012.
Barker was fired after the team finished last in the league in 2016, but returned as a senior adviser in 2022, winning his third Grey Cup with the team that year.
The 69-year-old from Pasadena, Calif., also won Grey Cup rings with Montreal and Calgary.
As offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach in Montreal in 2002, he helped star pivot Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes win their first Grey Cup title in 20 years.
He was vice-president and director of player personnel with the Stampeders in 2008 when Hufnagel, a rookie head coach, led the Stampeders to a CFL championship.
The Argonauts are looking to rebound from a disappointing season that saw them scuffle in their 2024 Grey Cup defence with a 5-13 record. After the season, they lost their head coach when Ryan Dinwiddie left to become the coach and general manager of the Ottawa Redblacks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.
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