Why no new deal for Willy?

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This article was published 22/04/2015 (3813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Drew Willy tied the knot with his girlfriend earlier this month, but he’s being decidedly less committed with his employer, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The team’s starting quarterback said Tuesday morning there has been no progress in his discussions with the Bombers on a contract extension and neither party is yet ready to head to the altar.

“There’s no news on that front,” said Willy, who spoke to the media at IMG Academy as the Bombers wrapped up their annual three-day spring minicamp. “I’m on a one-year deal right now and I love the city of Winnipeg and hopefully we can get something done. But if not, I’m confident playing it out.”

Willy would become a free agent next February if the Bombers do not sign him to a contract extension before then.

And the clock is ticking. Bombers GM Kyle Walters said if the team and Willy cannot agree to a contract extension before the start of the season, there will be no more contract talks between the two parties until after the season is over.

“Very rarely are there contract talks specifically with quarterbacks done throughout the year. That’s not something we’ve done and I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it. Ongoing contract discussions throughout the season don’t happen,” said Walters.

“If there’s going to be a contract extension for Drew Willy, it’s going to be done before the season or after the season. It won’t happen during the season for the purpose you said — we don’t want to distract anybody.”

Walters said he’s unconcerned the issue could become a distraction for Willy during the season if the two sides cannot cut a deal beforehand. “Drew’s a professional and he’s under a contract to play for a fair value and that’s what he will focus on,” he said.

Willy said his marriage to wife Hillary has him seeing life from a broader perspective, but he’s not going to be rushed into any new long-term deal with the Bombers.

“Of course, it’s not just you anymore,” Willy said. “But it won’t bother me (to play this season without an extension)… I’ve been in way worse situations in my life contract-wise, being cut and released from NFL teams. I’m not too worried about it.”

Willy is heading into his second season with the Bombers and is reportedly seeking a deal that would pay him $400,000 a season, which would put him in the same pay range as Edmonton Eskimos QB Mike Reilly.

The Bombers love what they saw the last three days in Willy, who spent a lot of his off-season in the weight room and looks both bigger and stronger this spring than he was last year.

“He’s better, that’s for sure. He improved,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

“It’s obvious to us… he’s worked hard this off-season on his craft, not only with the football IQ and the playbook but physically he’s gotten after it, too.”

Willy said he worked out this winter like he never has before.

“It’s definitely the most weights I’ve lifted” — and also spent the off-season throwing to other CFLers who live in Buffalo — including Ottawa’s Ernest Jackson and Hamilton’s Luke Tasker — while also working with trainers.

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“I was just trying to pick up little things here and there, different training devices,” said Willy. “I worked with a whole bunch of trainers this off-season. Everyone has their little wrinkle and I was just trying to take it all in.”

Part of the motivation behind Willy’s conditioning program was the abuse he took last season behind an offensive line that yielded the most sacks in the CFL. While the Bombers O-line has been substantially upgraded for 2015, a bigger and stronger starting QB cannot be a bad thing.

And also, one who is a bit louder, Willy pledges. The 28-year-old is heading into his second season with the Bombers and fourth in the CFL and says he’s hoping all that experience gives him the chops necessary to begin to take on more of a leadership role in the locker-room this coming season.

“I will try to be a little bit more vocal this year. It just comes with experience. You try to get respect from your peers with your play and then you try to work on your vocal leadership as well.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek