Harris welcomes fresh start with Argos
Running back felt unwanted in Winnipeg
Andrew Harris said that in coming to the Toronto Argos in the biggest signing of the CFL free-agent season this week, he is coming to a team where he feels wanted.
And while Harris is rightly celebrated as one of the CFL’s all-time great running backs, the “wanted” part of his move — from a Winnipeg team that just won back-to-back Grey Cups — is as much a part of his story as his on-field excellence.
The 34-year-old Winnipeg native, in interviews with his hometown media, detailed how he battled through an injury-plagued 2021, then failed to hear from the team’s coaching staff and management as they began signing players for the upcoming season.
While he was on vacation in Mexico and Arizona, Harris finally contacted the Blue Bombers, and set up a one-on-one meeting. He said he learned, through coach Mike O’Shea, that his injuries, and the subsequent negative effect they had on his preparation and mindset, led the Blue Bombers to say his contract was going to be “different.”
“I just felt like I was unwanted, and I was going to have to go along with what they were offering me,” Harris said in a Zoom call Thursday, as he was introduced to the Toronto media. “And just a lack of communication was tough to swallow, and especially when I felt like I’d done so much, and was part of a lot of great things for (Winnipeg) for the last five years. It was down, it was up, it was exciting, it was nervous, and you know a little bit scared, to be honest with you. One thing I knew throughout the whole thing was that I wanted to continue to play football and play at a high level. I think going to Toronto was the best opportunity for me, on and off the field. The biggest thing is I feel like I’m going to a place where I feel wanted.”
Toronto GM Mike Clemons and coach Ryan Dinwiddie “got right back” to Harris, and the result was the biggest splash signing of CFL free-agent week, and the arrival of arguably the best power back the Argos have had in recent memory.
Harris arrives in Toronto as a three-time Grey Cup champion, including a rare feat — being named Top Canadian and MVP of the 2019 Grey Cup game. He is 339 yards short of 10,000 rushing yards, a level no Canadian has ever reached. He is also 625 yards short of tying Charles Roberts for fifth on the CFL’s all-time list.
For Harris, though, 2021 marked the toughest season of his sure-bet CFL Hall of Fame career. He played in only half of the 14-game, COVIDshortened season, missing the first three games with a calf injury, and the final four with a knee injury.
He returned for the Western final, and was his former self, rushing for 136 yards and a TD. He added 80 more rushing yards in the Grey Cup win over Hamilton, capping a season where he was second in the league with 5.4 yards per carry. But that was also his lowest average in five seasons in Winnipeg.
The struggle to prepare himself physically was compounded by the breakup of his marriage, and a generally difficult off-field life where he said he went through mental health issues that made football more difficult than it normally is.
Harris said he is confident with his current mental and physical state. He’s often associated with “playing with a chip on his shoulder,” and that could be the motivation to vault him to an MVP-type season with the Argos.
“I think my whole career has been that way. I’ve always had to prove myself being a Canadian running back and coming from junior,” said Harris. “I’m looking forward to proving everyone wrong and keeping that chip on my shoulder.”