Quarterback Brandon Bridge and the Riders have agreed to terms on a one-year extension through the 2018 season, per sources.
Bridge worked out for the New York Giants on Tuesday but did not sign a contract.
After signing with the Riders in August of last year, the Mississauga-born Bridge has shown intriguing potential, especially in 2017. Bridge started in Week 13 for the Riders in Hamilton and guided the team to a victory with 231 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two weeks later, he came off the bench to lead a comeback win against Toronto, finishing 20-of-28 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, Bridge passed for 1,236 yards with a 66.6 completion percentage (92-of-138) and 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions while adding 20 carries for 127 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He sparked the Riders offence in the East Final, completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown in the team’s defeat. The TD toss was the first by a Canadian in a post-season game since Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.
Bridge was originally drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in 2015. That same year he attended Dallas Cowboys rookie mini-camp but was not signed.
A pending free agent in February, Bridge had been in contract negotiations with the Riders since the end of the season. Saskatchewan’s head coach and general manager Chris Jones knows the Canadian signal caller’s talents well.
“He brings a lot of really big intangibles to the position,” Jones said. “He’s a dynamic young player.”