Darian Durant shares insight into CFL free agent process from players’ perspective

Darian Durant knows what it’s like to be a player going through the CFL free agency process and shared his perspective as athletes with expiring contracts work through uncertainty about their futures.

“You definitely have that anxiety. You don’t know where home is going to be, and most importantly, you’re looking at a potential pay raise,” Durant said on The SportsCage.

The three-down league’s free agency communication window opens Sunday, February 1 at 12 p.m. ET and closes one week later. That leads into the official market opening on Tuesday, February 10 at 12 p.m. ET when players can put pen to paper on contracts with rival teams in the CFL.

“When your finances are at the forefront of this thing, because we all know that this is a business first, it’s nerve-wracking,” Durant said.

“You want to be in the best situation, but you don’t want to go to a team and make all the money in the world, but you’re in a bad situation where you could only get one or two years out of that. It’s tough for guys to look around the league and find a situation.”

The two-time Grey Cup champion has said in the past he regretted not taking a pay cut to finish his CFL career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. No. 4 spent 11 seasons with the Green and White then left for one year with the Montreal Alouettes after a contract dispute between him and Chris Jones.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking for the guys. This could be life-changing money for some of these guys. This is an opportunity to make the type of money you never thought you could have,” Durant said.

“I’ll speak from a receivers’ point of view. You’re looking for a team with a solidified quarterback, a guy who is accurate, a guy who is looked at as one of the top guys in the league. You have to look at those type of things when you’re deciding which team to go to.”

Durant infamously signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in January 2018, which included a $70,000 signing bonus. Over three months later, he announced his retirement from the CFL and kept the upfront money paid to him by the Blue and Gold.