REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Canadian offensive lineman Chris Best to a contract extension through the 2017 season Tuesday.
Best, 32, of Calgary, is entering his 10th season with Saskatchewan. He was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday afternoon.
Best has appeared in 114 career regular-season with Saskatchewan, including 94 as a starter. He has also participated in three Grey Cup games, winning in ’07 and 2013.
Saskatchewan also re-signed defensive lineman Dylan Ainsworth shortly after the start of free agency. The former Western Ontario star will return for a third season with the Riders after being selected in the second round, 11th overall, in the 2014 CFL draft.
Last season, Ainsworth had a team-high 12 special-teams tackles in 17 regular-season games.
The Riders also bolstered their receiving corps by signing former CFL player John Chiles and Jeremy Kelley.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound Chiles had 73 catches for 1,200 yards and nine TDs over two seasons and 20 regular-season games with the Toronto Argonauts before signing with the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
The six-foot-six, 231-pound Kelley joins the Riders after spending parts of three seasons in the NFL with Chicago, Denver and Indianapolis. In 2011, Kelley played three games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, registering two catches for 15 yards.
Canadian offensive lineman Andrew Jones, who played for new Riders head coach/GM Chris Jones the last two years in Edmonton, reuinted with his former head coach, signing as a free agent with Saskatchewan.
The six-foot-four, 299-pound Jones, entering his eighth CFL season, is a three-time Grey Cup champion with B.C. (2011), Toronto (2012) and Edmonton. He has appeared in 80 career regular-season games and eight playoff contests.