Veteran running back William Stanback has signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Redblacks, per sources.
The 30-year-old ball-carrier was cut by the B.C. Lions on Thursday after the team signed James Butler following his release from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Stanback was scheduled to hit free agency in February.
The six-foot, 233-pound ball-carrier received a $20,000 signing bonus from the Redblacks on a contract worth just shy of $110,000 in hard money for 2025. The contract, which was negotiated by Darren Wilson, is worth a maximum value of nearly $120,000 if all playtime and awards incentives are reached.
The product of Virginia Union University joined the Lions ahead of the 2024 season and had a strong year, carrying the ball 231 times for 1,175 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching 46 passes for 413 yards and two majors.
Stanback spent the first five seasons of his career with the Montreal Alouettes, interrupted only by a brief stint with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He recorded 625 carries for 3,716 yards and 11 touchdowns over 62 regular season games with the team, twice being named a CFL all-star and winning the Grey Cup in 2023.
The native of Hempstead, N.Y. joins an Ottawa team that did not have a player finish in the top 15 of CFL rushing last season and started receiver Bralon Addison at the position in the playoffs. DeVonte Williams, who rushed for 1,002 yards with the team in 2023, remains under contract but is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered last offseason.
