Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca
TORONTO — According to a report by TSN’s Dave Naylor, the Toronto Argonauts have offered James Wilder Jr. a new deal that would make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the CFL.
The report comes a month after Wilder announced he would sit out the 2018 season, the final year of his contract with the team.
A NEW OFFER: According to @TSNDaveNaylor, the Toronto Argonauts have made a contract extension proposal to James Wilder Jr. that would make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the league https://t.co/yRQFT9qvwp #CFLonTSN pic.twitter.com/U3ITuXUqlA
— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) February 27, 2018
Wilder was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2017 after combining for 1,405 yards en route to an eventual Grey Cup Championship with the Argos.
The son of former NFL running back James Wilder, the Argos’ 6-foot-3 back sparked a dramatic mid-season turnaround for the Boatmen, breaking out with a 257-yard performance vs. the Eskimos in September and kick-starting a 7-2 run, culminating in a Grey Cup win over the Stampeders.
Should Wilder choose to sit out 2018, and the Argos don’t release him, the team would be expected to place him on the suspended list. Wilder would then be eligible to become a free agent in 2019.
