Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. (19) runs with the football during practice at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Gittens Jr. inked a three-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts on Friday and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed returner Janarion Grant to a one-year extension. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
A pair of CFL all-stars have re-signed with their teams.
Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. inked a three-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts on Friday and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed returner Janarion Grant to a one-year extension.
Gittens, a 25-year-old Canadian, caught 81 passes (fifth best in the CFL) for 1,101 yards (sixth best) and five touchdowns in 2022.
He led the league in yards after catch (483), en route to being named a CFL All-Star for the first time in his career.
The Ottawa native was the Argonauts’ nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian for the second season in a row and was the East Division nominee for the award in 2022.
Gittens led Toronto in every major receiving category in 2022 and had three 100-yard games including a career high 161 at Ottawa in September.
He also caught nine passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Argonauts’ Eastern final win over Montreal.
Selected by Toronto in the third round of the 2019 draft, Gittens has played in 44 regular-season games for the club, hauling in 132 receptions for 1,716 yards and nine touchdowns.
Grant led all CFL returners in 2022 with five touchdowns ““ three in the regular season and two more in the playoffs ““ with four coming via punt returns and the fifth on a kickoff.
Grant earned a spot on the CFL All-Star team and became the Blue Bombers’ all-time leader in kick return touchdowns in the regular season with seven. He also set a Grey Cup record with a 102-yard return touchdown in last season’s championship loss to Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.
