The Canadian Press
HAMILTON — All-Star receiver Brandon Banks will be back in Hamilton next season after signing a two-year contract extension, the team announced on Monday.
Banks was set to become a free agent next month and was ranked at No. 7 on CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agent list.
“Brandon has been one of the premier playmakers in the Canadian Football League throughout his career; initially on special teams as a returner and now on offence as an explosive every-down receiver,” said Orlondo Steinauer, Head Coach of the Tiger-Cats. “We’re extremely excited to have him under contract for the next two seasons.”
Banks, 31, finished the 2018 season tied for first in the CFL in receiving touchdowns (11), second in receiving yards (1,423) and receptions (94), and fifth in pass targets (129), despite playing in only 14 games with the Tiger-Cats. He set a new club record for the most 100-plus yard receiving games in a single season with 10, eclipsing Tony Champion’s eight, which held up as the franchise’s all-time high since 1989. The 5-7, 150-pound native of Garner, North Carolina was also named a CFL All-Star for the third time in his career (2014, 2015, 2018) – first as a wide receiver – and an East Division All-Star for the fifth consecutive season (2014-18).
In 85-career CFL games over six seasons (2013-18) with the Tiger-Cats, Banks has 44 career touchdowns scoring five different ways: 29 receiving, four rushing, seven punt returns, one kickoff return, and three missed field goal returns. He has accumulated 266 receptions for 3,654 receiving yards, 50 carries for 287 rushing yards, 270 punt returns for 2,814 yards, 179 kickoff returns for 3,689 yards, and 11 missed field goal returns for 486 yards.
The Kansas State product ranks at or near the top among all-time Ticats franchise leaders in numerous categories, including first in kickoff return yards (3,689), missed field goal return yards (486) and missed field goal return touchdowns (3), second in combined yards (10,930) and punt return touchdowns (7), and third in punt return yards (2,814).
