Ottawa Redblacks extend quarterback Dru Brown through 2026

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‘Dru did an outstanding job in his first year as a starter, providing our team with stability at the game’s most important position.’

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The Ottawa Redblacks only needed to see one season of Dru Brown as their starting quarterback to know they wanted him for at least three.

On Wednesday, they gave their 27-year-old gunslinger a contract extension through the 2026 CFL season.

“Dru did an outstanding job in his first year as a starter, providing our team with stability at the game’s most important position,” said head coach Bob Dyce in a statement. “His work ethic and dedication to his craft will be instrumental in leading us to even greater success in the future.”

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According to 3DownNation insider Justin Dunk, the Redblacks presented Brown a $185,000 signing bonus to ink his new deal, which includes $354,700 in hard money and a maximum value of $390,700 in 2025.

Brown can earn $462,500 in hard money in 2026 with a maximum value of $471,500.

Injuries prevented Brown from playing in three of Ottawa’s 18 games last season and limited him to nine and six passing attempts in two others.

Yet he still finished third in the league with 3,958 yards while throwing 18 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.

Under his guidance, the Redbacks were 9-8-1 and made the playoffs before losing to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argos in the East Division semifinal.

It was their best season since 2018, when Trevor Harris was their QB and threw for 5,116 yards, with 22 touchdowns tosses and 11 interceptions.

In the four seasons between Harris and Brown, the Redblacks were a sickly 14-54, and the closest they made it to a post-season game was their living room couch in front of their TV.

To appreciate how much of a QB-driven league it is, here are the numbers on their top passers over those lean years:

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2023 (4-14): Dustin Crum, 3,109 passing yards, 10 TD passes, 12 picks

2022 (4-14): Caleb Evans, 1,301 yards, four TD passes, seven picks

2021 (3-11): Caleb Evans, 1,279 yards, five TD passes, nine picks

2019 (3-15): Dominique Davis, 2,216 yards, five TD passes, 14 picks

Looking back, having the 2020 season cancelled by COVID was almost a welcome break for Redblacks fans.

The only quarterback the Redblacks have under contract other than Brown is Tyrie Adams, a talented and perennially upbeat 27-year-old who, mostly because of injuries, has thrown just 31 passes over three CFL seasons.

Eligible to test the free agent waters are Crum and veteran Jeremiah Masoli, a 36-year-old who is determined to be a starter again.

The most likely scenario from an outsider’s vantage point has GM Shawn Burke counting on Adams to develop, re-signing Crum and allowing Masoli to walk.

But with no other especially appealing options headed to the market, the Redblacks would be left to pray that Brown doesn’t go down again.

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Brown and Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) are the smallest quarterbacks in the league.

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During a Zoom call with the media from the CFL’s winter meetings in Charlotte this week, Dyce was asked how important it is to make sure his guy stays upright.

“I think that’s with any quarterback in this league, right?” he said. “We know how valuable your starters are, and that’s always going to be the goal of us as coaches, in how we scheme things and in protections, and how we do things to make sure that we have Dru for 18 games.”

Can Brown do anything to help attain that goal?

“When you look at the injuries that Dru suffered, it wasn’t a matter of how he plays,” said Dyce. “Regrettably, sometimes they’re going to happen. I’m never going to ask the quarterback, ‘Hey, don’t run,’ or, ‘Don’t do things like that.’ I want them to be aggressive and play their style.

“Dru didn’t get hurt on those types of plays. Sometimes there’s going to be a breakdown in protection. There are a lot of big bodies down low by the ankles, and that was probably the big one that got him. We ask Dru to do the things that he does best, we’re not really looking for him to change his game. We want to be sound around him, make sure we’re getting open early so the ball can be out of his hand to make sure we’re solid in our protections.”

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Dyce expects Brown to continue his growth and build on the strong relationship he has with teammates and offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell.

“The thing about Dru is he’s always constant and consistent in his approach to the game,” he said. “It’s about challenging each other, and making sure we’re getting the best version of everybody. Dru always pushes himself to do that.

“One of the great things we saw from Dru was him allowing his teammates to see who the true Dru is by bringing a little more emotion into his game. He’s never going to change his approach. He’s very direct and focused in his attack. But on game day, one of the things his teammates loved was seeing the emotion that he had. He let that show a little bit.

“As we said when he and I talked at the end of the season, we’ve got to make sure we start where we ended up. We don’t have time to work backward. We’ve got to continue moving forward.”

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