The B.C. Lions have released Canadian receiver and Vancouver native Lemar Durant.
He was reportedly the CFL’s highest-paid national receiver and was scheduled to earn $200,000 in 2022 as part of a contract extension he signed in December 2020.
The six-foot-two, 218-pound target recorded a career-high 57 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns in his first year with B.C. in 2019. He missed almost half the 2021 campaign due to injury, dressing for eight games and making 24 catches for 263 yards.
The 29-year-old was a second-round pick of the Calgary Stampeders in the 2015 CFL Draft out of Simon Fraser University. He made 102 receptions for 1,280 yards and eight touchdowns over 51 games with the club and was named the Most Valuable Canadian in the 2018 Grey Cup after recording four receptions for 30 yards and one touchdown along with 22 rushing yards.
Durant is now free to sign with any CFL team, while players on expiring contracts will have to wait until free agency gets underway on Feb. 8.
Other pending free agent national receivers include Jevon Cottoy, Juwan Brescacin, Llevi Noel, Hergy Mayala, Shaq Johnson, and Drew Wolitarsky.
