Roughriders move Willy
The Saskatchewan Roughriders got something for one of their pending free agents Thursday.
They got another pending free agent.
Saskatchewan traded import quarterback Drew Willy to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for non-import receiver Jade Etienne, a 24-year-old product of Regina. Both players were eligible to become CFL free agents Tuesday.
But Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman believes his team can work out a deal that will keep Etienne off the market.
“We want to look into signing him, that’s for sure, and we want to look into giving him an opportunity to come in and compete with our guys,” Taman said Thursday evening after returning from Ottawa, where he attended the CFL Congress.
“We’ve been known to play some Canadians and he’s a local kid — plus he has some teammates from the (University of Saskatchewan) Huskies on our team, so he has a comfort zone that way.
“Are we expecting him to come in and be a starting receiver? Not necessarily. But we’re able to tell him that we’re going to have him come in and fight for a job and see how it plays out.”
Etienne, a graduate of Luther College High School, played for the Huskies before being selected by Winnipeg in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2011 CFL draft. In 2013, the 6-foot-4, 186-pounder set career highs in receptions (19), receiving yards (265) and touchdown catches (two).
Taman admitted the Roughriders took a risk by dealing for a player who could walk away next week, but the trade will benefit Saskatchewan in some way.
“If (Etienne) does leave (and sign elsewhere), we’ll have some other considerations that would come into play,” Taman said. “They’re not significant of any note, but we’ll get something out of this, put it that way.”
Willy, 27, spent two seasons as the backup to Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant.
The Roughriders expected to lose Willy as a free agent, so dealing him before the deadline allowed them to get something for him.
“We talked to Drew last week and he reiterated what he’d already told us, that he wanted to get a chance to play,” Taman said. “With Darian here, that probably wasn’t going to happen. We knew he wasn’t coming back.
“(The Bombers) wanted to get to him sooner than later, especially when Henry (Burris) was off the market, so they said, ‘Can we get his rights?’ and we said, ‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’
“To make it somewhat sensible from our end, we were hoping to get back the rights of a guy we could talk to who maybe didn’t figure into their plans for whatever reason. That was Jade.”
Willy started four games over his two seasons in Saskatchewan, posting a 2-2-0 record. He completed 101 of 147 pass attempts for 1,182 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions and also rushed 51 times for 137 yards and seven TDs during his time in green and white.
Shortly after being acquired by the Bombers, Willy signed a contract extension that reportedly calls for two years.
Winnipeg seemed to be the logical landing spot for Willy, since the Bombers were in the market for a starting quarterback.
They were in the mix for former Toronto Argonauts pivot Zach Collaros, but he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — a move that displaced Burris. Winnipeg then made a play for Burris, but he instead signed with the expansion Ottawa Redblacks.
The Bombers’ stable of quarterbacks now includes Willy, former Roughriders prospect Levi Brown and incumbents Justin Goltz and Max Hall.
“Drew is a quarterback we have always thought had very high potential in this league,” Bombers general manager Kyle Walters said in a media release. “He immediately upgrades us at this position, and we really look forward to him being a part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers moving forward.”
Willy, who’s to meet with the Winnipeg media today, wasn’t available for comment Thursday.
In the media release issued by the team, Willy said: “I am really excited to join the Blue Bomber organization. The support the team gets from the province of Manitoba is remarkable.
“With such a deep history, the fans, the new stadium, and the direction the team wants to go, it’s going to be a great place to play,” he added. “The people within the organization have shown genuine interest in me, and as a player, you can’t ask for anything more.”