Argos cash in the winning bid

John Avery held all the cards, the Argos ponied up the winning bid. The 28 year old running back signed a four year deal with Toronto after taking the weekend to consider the Argos bid against the options provided by his former team the Eskimos.

In his last year in the CFL in 2002, Avery led the league in rushing with 1,448 yards on the ground, 387 yards in receptions and 661 kickoff return yards. It was such a successful year that he attracted the attention of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Avery spent 2003 as part of the Vikings roster, appearing in 6 games before suffering a season ending knee injury.

Claiming that he’s at 90% efficiency now, Avery felt that his best interests were served returning to the CFL. His only decision was whether it would be back in Edmonton or with another team. Toronto stepped up to the table and made the better offer, closing the deal with a personal appearance from Pinball Clemens, who made a special trip to see Avery just after attending to his father’s funeral arrangements. That kind of personal touch which explains much of Clemens respect in the CFL swayed Avery towards the Argos.

Of course the money doesn’t hurt either, while no terms were released at today’s press conference, it’s rumored that Avery will be making $250,000 a year over the course of his four year deal.

The Argos management team was full of smiles during and after the announcement, hailing the signing as another step in the quest for respectability. The signing of a high profile player like Avery sends a message to their fans, that the team is serious about putting a competitive and exciting product on the field this seasons.

When Avery reports to training camp later next month he’ll be competing with Michael Jenkins and former Heisman trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, who signed with the boatmen earlier this year.

Clemons says that the Argos plan on keeping two of the three running backs on their active roster. It will all come down to who is the healthiest by the time camp breaks in mid June. Whichever backs the Argos end up running with, one thing is certain the yards gained in 2004 are bound to be an exciting part of the Argo attack. Good news for the long suffering fans of the double blue.