Bombers, Willy extend contract

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This article was published 02/05/2015 (4157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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After just one year as a starter — and that one ended badly — Drew Willy came up with a pretty good completion on Friday.

Willy and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have hooked up for a two-year contract extension that keeps the quarterback in the fold until the end of the 2017 CFL season.

Bombers GM Kyle Walters said despite the fact Willy has had only one season as a CFL starter, and has 21 total starts in his career, he’s not worried about adding two years to Willy’s deal for some serious dollars.

“No, we saw what Drew’s about and the way he played last year,” Walters said. “He led the team on and off the field. Those intangibles are as important for (head coach) Mike (O’Shea) and myself, outside of the obvious skill set that he has, leading us to victory and what he showed, particularly early in the year pulling those victories out.

“There’s something about Drew that we’re prepared to hang our hat on organizationally and this is a young man who’s going to lead us to Grey Cups. We believe that.”

Willy started 17 of last season’s 18 games for the Bombers, throwing for 14 touchdowns and 3,789 yards. He completed 63.8 per cent of his passes and had 16 interceptions.

He said Friday he contemplated becoming a free agent at the end of the coming season but likes the way this turned out.

“There could be opportunities,” he said about free agency. “There might not be. Being from the States, you always want to look at the NFL but I’ve done that route and even when I’m done with this I’ll still only be 30 and from all the research I’ve done, a ton of players come into their prime between 28 and 34 at the quarterback position.”

Willy said his fit in Winnipeg was a major factor.

“I felt comfortable here,” he said. “It’s such a great place to play and I feel like we’re building something special, what our organization was able to do in the free-agency period and down in Florida. I think you’ll see a great product on the field this year.”

The Bombers believe they have improved their offensive line, an area of concern after last season’s 67 sacks.

“Not to say that was all on the O-line; we all took our part in it,” Willy said. “It’s something that coach O’Shea and Kyle felt was necessary in free agency. They did a great job going out getting guys to take us to that next step.

“The commitment they’ve shown not just to me, but extending a bunch of other guys, shows that we’re here to get wins and ultimately get to the Grey Cup.”

 

Walters said the new deal became a priority after the league’s free agency period played out during the winter.

“I believe we’ve surrounded Drew with some better pieces this year to help him grow as a quarterback and to help him lead this team,” the GM said. “We wanted to get this done before the season (started).”

Willy will receive a $150,000 signing bonus this season, and his salary increase — to $400,000 — is not an onerous number, Walters said.

Walters didn’t cite the specific number but said it was “a comparable rate for other starting quarterbacks with the same experience.

“This was a friendly deal, certainly for this year, helping us with what we did in free agency and keeps the cap number exactly what it was, and… what we had already planned to spend (in the future).”

O’Shea also attended Friday’s announcement and put an all-in endorsement on the signing.

“Continuity, stability. It’s (what) we talked about when we were going through the hiring process, identifying a few issues that the organization might have had in the past and moving forward from that and those included becoming a more stable franchise,” O’Shea said.

“He (Willy) has rewarded us, so it’s good for him to be rewarded for that.”

O’Shea said Willy’s toughness and preparation are beyond question and are the qualities of an elite quarterback.

“They (his team) have their leader,” he said. “They know who to follow. I think that might have been lacking in years past. We’ve set about to change that idea. Through free agency, moves we made, how we’re conducting business as an organization and the signing of Drew, all points in the right direction.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca