What Darian Durant made in 2016 and why it matters

Darian Durant is willing to take yet another pay cut to stay with the Riders, despite having made significant concessions last season.

The beloved Saskatchewan quarterback has made it clear that he wants to extend his ride with the green and white. The 34-year-old has made compromises to help the team in Riderville and he’s prepared to make more.

“I feel like I’ve moved so much in the past couple years. I took a pay cut this year coming in. I’m willing to take another pay cut,” Durant said as the Riders were cleaning out their lockers.

No. 4 was scheduled to make well north of $500,000 in 2016, but with the new regime coming in led by Chris Jones, Durant agreed to a reworked deal that gave him a hefty signing bonus and saved the Riders money against the cap – more than $60,000 – in 2016.

Durant’s 2016 contract numbers	Amount
Signing bonus	$250,000
Base salary	$105,000
Housing	$30,000
Active roster bonus 6 games	$10,000
Active roster bonus 9 games	$10,000
Active roster bonus 12 games	$10,000
Active roster bonus 14 games	$10,000
Playtime bonus (51% offensive plays)	$1,388 per game (14 games=$19,432)
Total	$444,432

That pay dip saved the team cash, allowing them to allocate it elsewhere to rebuild the roster, and as Durant alluded to he’s willing to take even less than he made in 2016 in a new pact. He’s been completely reasonable, unselfish and willing to help the Riders free up resources to improve, especially when you consider the season that Durant just put together.

The North Carolina product produced 3,839 passing yards (fourth-most in the league) and that was done with a constantly different skill position player group – CFL-high 20 players made a reception for Saskatchewan. Durant had a two-to-one touchdown to interception ratio and ran for a team-leading six touchdowns to go with 308 yards on the ground, which shows he still has dual-threat capabilities.

Durant’s willingness to take less money should be lauded. He’s taken personal financial gains out of the equation to see to it that the Riders enter new Mosaic Stadium with a competitive group. It’s not like he’s banging on the table saying pay more or I’m walking out the door. He showed in 2016 that he can stay healthy for a majority of the season and play at a high level, therefore it’s only fair to be paid at a rate commensurate with his production.