Josiah St. John asks for trade from Riders

With contract talks stalled, Canadian offensive lineman Josiah St. John has asked the Saskatchewan Roughriders for a trade, per CFL sources.

St. John was taken first overall by the Riders in the 2016 CFL Draft on May 10.

However, sources say the Riders haven’t given St. John’s camp permission to seek a swap with another CFL team and aren’t considering a deal at the moment.

The demand comes after the six-foot-six, 309-pounder made it known that he was willing to hold out until the start of the regular season.

Reports say St. John is looking for compensation in line with what the top picks received last year. In 2015, Ottawa Redblacks centre Alex Mateas (first overall) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers guard Sukh Chungh (second) both received signing bonuses plus base salaries of approximately $80,000, with playing incentives that could’ve reached $20,000.

Meanwhile, the Riders have countered with an offer at the league minimum of $52,000 and $53,000 over the course of a two-year deal, according to the Regina Leader-Post.