Ricky Ray, who won a record fourth Grey Cup title as a CFL starting quarterback in November and said he was “seriously contemplating retirement” after last season, has told confidants that he will be returning to the CFL in 2018.
Sources tell Sportsnet that Ray has told Argos brass that he will come back for a 16th season.
With the veteran soon to be a free agent on Feb. 13, he’ll likely have to come to an agreement on a contract with Toronto, and it is believed he is well on his way to negotiating a deal to remain with the team.
Ray told reporters back in November on locker cleanout day that, “I can’t imagine playing anywhere else.”
Where it gets interesting is how the Argonauts quarterback situation will shake down. The team traded for the rights to James Franklin, formerly the back-up in Edmonton, and then signed him to a two-year contract extension on Jan. 5.
Argos general manager Jim Popp was non-committal after locking Franklin up through 2019, simply stating the organization would “welcome him to the mix of talented quarterbacks we have on our roster and look forward to watching him compete.”
Ray, 38, has thrown for over 60,000 career passing yards – the fourth to ever do it – and also threw for over 5,000 passing yards last season. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in the CFL’s East Division in 2017.
