Johany Jutras
REGINA — Maurice Price appears set to retire, the Saskatchewan Roughriders confirmed Thursday, as the veteran receiver has filed his retirement papers to the CFL.
Price, 30, was acquired by the Riders in a trade with the Saskatchewan Roughriders back at the beginning of January. The Riders confirmed that as per CFL regulations, that trade with the REDBLACKS that sent sixth and seventh round picks to Ottawa will stand.
“We are surprised and disappointed to hear of Maurice Price’s decision to retire,” stated Riders General Manager and Head Coach Chris Jones. “We were given no indication when we acquired Maurice and negotiated a new contract that he may not continue playing.
“As a team we will continue to move forward with our free agent camps and work through the CFL Draft. An opportunity has opened up for another player.”
Price was acquired by the REDBLACKS last off-season in a trade for linebacker Jasper Simmons after spending the first three years of his career in Calgary. Part of the league’s most explosive receiving corps, the Orlando, Fla. native fell on the depth chart behind four 1,000-yard receivers.
Yet while registering only one touchdown, Price’s 58 catches were a career-high while his 603 receiving yards marked the second-highest total of his career. A graduate of Charleston Southern, Price has registered at least 400 yards in each of his four CFL seasons, averaging throughout his career 49.8 receiving yards per game over 47 contests.
With a fresh start on a new-look roster in Riderville, 2016 was expected to be an opportunity for Price to compete and play a bigger role. Rob Bagg, Shamawd Chambers, John Chiles, Nic Demski and Naaman Roosevelt are among receivers expected to play a large role for the Riders this coming season.
