The Montreal Alouettes have officially announced the contract extension for quarterback Darian Durant – first reported by 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk days ago – and he certainly got his money.
Assuming that’s true – and Madani’s sources are pretty damn good – then Durant got exactly the contract the Riders were unwilling to pay him: $400K in guaranteed money and multiple years.
With Hamilton’s Zach Collaros and Edmonton’s Mike Reilly at the top of the table ($520K), Durant’s deal puts him in the same bracket as newly-resigned Matt Nichols (who got $400K from the Bombers) but below Bo Levi Mitchell ($460K) and Trevor Harris ($420K.)
It’s something of a gamble given Durant’s age – he’ll be 35 in August – and injury history (he hasn’t played a full season since 2010.) But if he stays healthy and leads the Alouettes back to the post-season, he’ll be worth every penny: it’s the going rate for a proven quarterback in a league where play at the position is paramount.
And of course going into a CFL season without a proven starting quarterback is also a gamble. With Durant locked down, every team in the league would seem to have an established starter in place.
Except Saskatchewan.
