The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have shown varying levels of interest for receiver Derel Walker, per sources.
Walker is seeking a contract in the $275,000 range, which would make the 27-year-old the highest paid receiver and non-quarterback in the game.
The Toronto Argonauts are in the mix and making a push for signing Walker, flying him in for a visit – including the Raptors game Wednesday night – and trying to sign the elite pass catcher before he leaves the city.
Walker is coming off an injury-shortened season after hurting his left leg in the second quarter of Edmonton’s Labour Day loss to Calgary when it bent awkwardly during a tackle. He didn’t play again the rest of the 2018 season but still made 51 catches for 875 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games.
The two-time CFL all-star and 2015 Grey Cup champion signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January of 2017, but he was released by the Bucs among the final cuts after training camp, which made him a free agent. Walker signed with the Eskimos midway through 2017, posting 48 catches for 634 yards and two touchdowns in eight games while scoring a rushing touchdown.
Walker finished second in CFL receiving yards during the 2017 season with 1,589 and a team-leading 10 touchdowns on 109 catches in 17 games in 2016. He had 1,110 yards and six touchdowns on 89 catches in just 12 games and was the league’s most outstanding rookie in 2015.
Walker is a stud target in the prime of his career. Whoever gets Walker to sign on the dotted line has a legitimate No. 1 receiver.
