Evans signs one-year contract extension with Riders

Shaq Evans is back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and it appears veteran receiver Naaman Roosevelt will not be.

The Riders announced Friday that Evans, Saskatchewan’s leading receiver and a CFL all-star in 2019, agreed to a one-year contract extension. TSN’S Dave Naylor reported that the Riders are moving on from Roosevelt, who spent five seasons with the Green and White.

Evans had been eligible to file for free agency on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Roosevelt is expected to hit the open market when the free agent period opens.

Evans led the Riders in receiving yards (1,334), was second on the team in touchdown receptions (five) and placed third in receptions (72) en route to being named a CFL all-star for the first time. He also led the CFL in yards per catch (18.5) and receptions of 30-plus yards (15).

Evans, who turns 29 on March 7, was expected to be among the league’s most coveted free agents.

According to Justin Dunk of 3Downnation.com, Evans will earn $175,000 in 2020, a figure that could increase to $200,000 with incentives. Evans made $76,400 in 2019.

In 2019, Roosevelt dressed for 18 regular-season games while recording 77 receptions for 946 yards and one touchdown. The 32-year-old slotback joined the Riders in 2015 and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2016 and 2017.

Friday’s move leaves the Riders with only one pending free agent receiver — Manny Arceneaux. Arceneaux, 32, was a strong locker-room presence in 2019, but had only 22 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.

The Riders have the depth on their current roster to move forward without Arceneaux or Roosevelt. The free agent pool of receivers is also deep enough that the Green and White could bolster its offence with slightly cheaper options.

The Riders, may have already added a replacement for Arceneaux or Roosevelt with Friday’s announcement that they’d signed Rashad Greene, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ fifth-round selection (139th overall) in the 2015 NFL draft out of the University of Florida. Greene, 27, spent three seasons with Jacksonville, recording 30 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

In college, he starred with the Florida Gators, recording 270 receptions for 3,830 yards and 29 touchdowns and sharing in the 2013 BCS NCAA national championship.

Kyran Moore is among a strong group of returning receivers. In 2019, Moore had 78 receptions for 996 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns.

Among the other significant returnees at receiver are Americans Jordan Williams-lambert, Kenny Stafford and Paul Mcroberts and nationals Brayden Lenius and Justin Mcinnis.

Williams-lambert, the West Division’s most outstanding rookie in 2018, rejoined the Riders on Sept. 10 after a failed tryout with the NFL’S Chicago Bears. He struggled with the Riders offence and was limited to just three regular-season games. Williams-lambert, 25, would be a younger alternative to Arceneaux or Roosevelt.

Stafford, acquired from the Edmonton Eskimos for returner Christion Jones on Aug. 5, is another option at wide receiver or slotback.

Mcroberts was a standout in training camp, but didn’t see any action in the regular season. He’s a big-bodied receiver who might be able to move beyond the practice roster.

Mcinnis and Lenius were the Riders’ first- and second-round picks, respectively, in the 2019 CFL draft.

Injuries limited their contributions last year, but they should be in the mix in their second CFL seasons.