Cory Boyd says he came to Canada last spring with one American dollar in his pocket.
After a sensational rookie season, the Toronto Argonauts tailback has plenty more coming his way.
Sportsnet.ca has learned the 25-year-old has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with the franchise that, including a signing bonus, will pay Boyd just below six figures annually – nearly doubling his salary from his rookie deal.
“I played for a small contract last year. It was a blessing just to get over here,” said Boyd, who negotiated directly with Argonauts GM/head coach Jim Barker. “Now that I have this opportunity, I knew if I could showcase my talent, an increase would come sooner than later. I wanted to get this contract thing done and live a better life.”
The league’s second-leading rusher will make far less than his counterparts atop the running back leader board. The deal is quite cap-friendly to the Argonauts, but that is fine with Boyd – coming off a 1,359-yard, six-touchdown campaign.
“You still want to leave room for growth. I want to earn a lot more. I want to earn my keep,” said Boyd, who finished 37 yards shy of Fred Reid for the CFL’s 2010 rushing crown. “I want to have something to work for. We have a lot of key components that we need to add to our team. I’m not trying to break the bank right now. I just wanted to get my dignity back.”
Boyd was a seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos coming out of South Carolina University in 2008, but when NFL opportunities did not work out, he came to Toronto for training camp last year on a contract that paid him $50,000 in 2010.
He said sleeping on teammates’ couches and on an air mattress last season reminded him daily of the thirst to work for a better paying deal.
“I wasn’t happy with what my environment was and where I was going,” admitted Boyd. “But I kept a smile on my face and God blessing everybody and stayed humble through it all.”
As terrific as a debut season as Boyd had, injuries were a factor. He suffered concussions in training camp, then early in the season and again in the fall against Winnipeg. In the CFL East final loss to Montreal, a nasty hip injury had him hobble off the field and after the game said it was the most pain he’d ever experienced playing football.
“Last year, ff there was a chance to get an extra yard – I could go (either) around him or through him. I ran through him. That wasn’t wise and it didn’t help the team,” he said. “I played with so much anger. Now I’ll play not with anger, but with passion and wisdom and be smart about it. I wasn’t trusting my body.”
He says this off-season his training has been smarter – “you don’t have to lift the world everyday” – with an emphasis on core strength and finesse. He is at his ideal playing weight of 215 pounds and has put in plenty of work with new Argos head therapist Dave Wright to have his body right – he says his pelvis and hip are now fine – and ready for the rigours of an 18-game season.
“Before I got here, I didn’t know how to prepare myself to play. Just felt I had to run everyday and go hard. I didn’t understand what that does to the body. I didn’t relax or calm down,” said Boyd.
“So I think I reached my peak before I got here. I was just in overdrive, overdrive, overdrive. That’s what led to the injuries. I ran myself into the ground before the season and then ran it into the ground more during the season. This off-season has helped me understand me and get myself together.”
Boyd has stayed in Toronto all winter and admittedly said he was concerned his time would not come for an extension as he watched the Argonauts spend money in free agency, and to lock up captain Jeremaine Copeland to what likely is his last contract. By Friday, after a two-week back-and-forth process with Barker, his worries were alleviated.
“I’m learning how to be a professional,” he said. “I still have only played one full year of professional football, so I’m still young in learning myself and learning the business.
“Now that I’ve signed this contract and got some bonus up front, I can get up off the air mattress I’m on and be smart and save my money… Money wise, I went from one figure to close to six figures. And I still want to prove I’m worth the big bucks.”
