Toronto Argonauts lock down Canadian core in Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Royce Metchie and Robbie Smith
With CFL free agency looming, the Toronto Argonauts prioritized their young Canadian talent as roster continues to take shape.
As the calendar flips to February, it’s now the final push for CFL teams to get deals done with their pending free agents and the Toronto Argonauts have clearly identified their path forward.
On Friday the Argonauts signed Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Royce Methcie to contract extensions a week after announcing that Robbie Smith. All three were scheduled to hit the open market and there’s no doubt that there would have been many suitors for the trio of Canadians.
In the case of Gittens Jr., not only was getting him signed before free agency an important development but getting him locked in for three years is just as critical. The Ottawa native finished the 2022 season with 81 receptions for 1,101 (first in the league with 483 yards after the catch) and five touchdowns.
The 25-year-old, will continue to be a crucial part of the offence and has shown great improvement and the Argonauts commitment in years and salary definitely shows that. TSN’s Farhan Lalji reports that Gittens Jr. will be the second-highest-paid receiver in the CFL making well over $200,000 each season with some guarantees included in his deal.
Gittens deal will pay him 200k in 2023, 210k in 2024, 215k in 2025. It includes a 55k signing bonus & a 50k guarantee in 2025. He is now the 2nd highest paid receiver in #CFL for 2023, behind Whitehead (205k), for now. Demski, Lawler, Lewis, still to come. #Argos @CFLonTSN https://t.co/zX7niVRfhu
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) 12:53 AM ∙ Feb 4, 2023
There are still many free agents left from the Grey Cup roster that are set to hit the open market including receivers DaVaris Daniels, Markeith Ambles, Juwan Brescacin and Eric Rogers. How much the receiver group will change remains to be seen but getting Gittens Jr. is certainly a step in the right direction.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., will remain with his hometown team until the end of the 2024 season. Metchie recorded a career-high 72 defensive tackles and two interceptions after joining Toronto in a trade from the Calgary Stampeders.
With Smith also getting also back in the fold and probably going to see an increased role, the Argonauts lock up three players who they figure to be key parts of their future. It shows the team’s continued investment in their Canadian talent and keeping a core together for more than just year-by-year.
Michael “Pinball” Clemons made it a point to say that some of the veterans won’t be back as the team turns to younger players. So safe to say with their recent signings, they are sticking true to their word.
Boris Bede back for another season
The Toronto Argonauts announced that Boris Bede has been signed to a one-year contract. The veteran kicker made a career-high 43 field goals in 2022 including three in the Grey Cup.
Despite setting a new career-high in field goals made, Bede also had the lowest kicking percentage of his CFL career. He converted on 78.2 per cent of his kicks which had him ninth among kickers in the league but he saw a drastic increase in usage as he made 55 attempts (up from his career-high of 40).
The ability to score points when asked is crucial for any team, especially with Toronto involved in many close games. Bede would be the first to tell you that he would like to improve his field goal percentage.