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Toronto Argonauts find common ground with James Wilder Jr.

By David Morassutti

OTTAWA, ON - NOVEMBER 26: The Toronto Argonauts raise the Grey Cup over their heads as they celebrate winning the 105th Grey Cup Championship Game against the Calgary Stampeders at TD Place Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - NOVEMBER 26: The Toronto Argonauts raise the Grey Cup over their heads as they celebrate winning the 105th Grey Cup Championship Game against the Calgary Stampeders at TD Place Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images) /
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After going public about his desire to pursue another opportunity at the NFL, James Wilder Jr. decides to return to the Toronto Argonauts for 2018.

It appears that whatever displeasure James Wilder Jr. had with the Toronto Argonauts were forgiven on Saturday with the announcement of a new contract extension.

The new deal ensures the 2017 most outstanding rookie will be a member of the Double Blue until the end of the 2019 season. The good news for the Argonauts is their offence won’t be without one of the most dominant running backs in the league.

So what exactly changed for WIlder Jr.? Although financial terms for the deal were not included, there was a report from TSN’s Dave Naylor suggesting the deal would make him one of the highest paid running backs in the league.

Justin Dunk reported for 3DownNation that the Argos planned to offer Wilder Jr. around $100,000, which would technically make him one of the top paid American running backs in the league. He also mentions that the team did not even need to do this at all.

That is something general manager Jim Popp told Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun, when discussing the new deal for his star running back.

"“We didn’t have to do what we did,” Popp said. “It was never contentious. He just wanted out of his deal.”"

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Well the Argos decided the only way they were going to make Wilder Jr. reconsider his desire to pursue the NFL, was to provide him with a more attractive alternative. As CFL writer Chris O’Leary wrote, Popp was one of three general managers in the league that wanted to reopen the NFL window.

This would help the league, players and management avoid situations like this, but some teams must feel the chance of losing a star player is too much of a risk for them. At the same time, having this window also prevents teams from losing control of a player’s rights should they be cut by an NFL team.

Could Wilder Jr. have secured a job in the NFL in 2018? It is very possible, but maybe he thought that sitting out a season could harm his chances down the road.

It is hard to find an issue with the deal if you’re an Argos fan. As for Wilder Jr., he made his concerns known and at least the team did something about it rather than ignore it.

Next: What does Anthony Calvillo brings as new QB coach?

What do you think about Wilder Jr.’s new contract? What do you expect him to do as an encore for the Toronto Argonauts in 2018? Let us know in the comments. 

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