Johany Jutras
TORONTO — Trevor Harris is the quarterback of the future but the real question is where?
At 29 years old, the Edinboro University product is in that sweet spot: He is experienced enough that the learning curve is not too steep but also entering a time in his career that if he doesn’t catapult himself into a starting role soon his prime window could close.
It wasn’t that long ago that Harris was seen as the potential future face of the franchise in Toronto. After lifting the Argos to a 5-2 record by Week 8 and leading the league in touchdown passes, many who had panicked when they found out that incumbent Ricky Ray was going to be out let out a sigh of relief.
By the time the 2015 season ended Harris sat third in the league in passing yards with 4,354 and first in touchdown passes with 33. He also sat on the bench with Ray returning from injury and two not-so-impressive performances fresh in the minds of the Argonauts’ brass.
In December, the Argonauts inked Ray to a contract extension but GM Jim Barker said that “competition will be there” between the veteran and the upstart QB should he return to Toronto.
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“We would love to have Trevor back,” Barker said on a December conference call. “We’re doing everything in our power to re-sign Trevor. We’re trying to be fair to him and the club. Rick knows that if Trevor comes back, there is competition.”
With Harris’ return to Toronto by no means imminent, CFL.ca looks at where the gunslinger could end up and where his best chances to not only start but take a franchise under his wing will be.
| TORONTO ARGONAUTS
The obvious one here is he re-signs in Toronto. As the Double Blue enter a new era at BMO Field, Harris has the unique opportunity to not only win the starting job out of training camp but cement himself as the face of the franchise. Competition may just push Harris enough to put little doubt in the Argos’ mind that he should be a starter.
Even if he begins the year on the sidelines, he has a system he is familiar with under head coach Scott Milanovich and Offensive Coordinator Marcus Brady and he has a future Hall of Famer to pull knowledge from.
Ray is on the back half of his career and a long term deal in Toronto would all but ensure that Harris is indeed the future regardless of whether he is the starter now or a few years down the road.
| MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Should Harris test the market, Montreal may be his best chance to not only earn a starting spot but get paid well to do so. A move to the Als would be not unlike his former teammate, Zach Collaros’, move to Hamilton — both products of Milanovich’s system, both replacing a quarterback who is getting up there in age.
Kevin Glenn is likely pencilled in as the starter if the season were to start today but that conversation quickly changes if Harris were to sign in Montreal. His age alone is enough to give him an edge in Montreal.
Since the departure of Anthony Calvillo, the Als have desperately been in search of some stability under centre. Glenn gives them that but for how long? If Harris is indeed the real deal he will be handed the keys by Head Coach Jim Popp and can continue to learn under another Hall of Famer (Calvillo) who also ran a Milanovich offence.
The Als need some consistency and what they need more is a player they can hitch their wagon to long-term. It worked in Hamilton and could work in Montreal as well.
| BC Lions
Jonathon Jennings is likely the guy in BC but if the BC brass has any doubt, there is a slight chance Harris could be in the mix. Wally Buono has dealt with having a number of capable quarterbacks on his roster before and has never shied away from allowing the best pivot work his way into a starting role.
Harris is more seasoned than Jennings and his hunger to gain a starting role could benefit the Lions by pushing the what is assumed to be their incumbent quarterback. This also depends on where Travis Lulay’s future is (if at all) with the Leos.
| WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Drew Willy will return from injury to be the starter in Winnipeg but one could argue that depth behind centre is needed. Willy has had two solid campaigns with the Bombers but there is nothing to say that Harris couldn’t come in and take the starting job away. He is somewhat familiar with head coach Mike O’Shea from their days in Toronto and a new offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice arrives with a chance to make some changes on the offensive side of the ball.
