MONTRÉAL – The Montreal Alouettes announced on Friday that the club has acquired veteran quarterback Darian Durant from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for Montreal’s fourth round pick (32nd overall, acquired from Winnipeg) in the 2017 CFL Canadian Draft as well as a 2018 conditional draft pick.
Durant (5’11”, 214 lbs.), an 11-season CFL veteran, started his career with the Roughriders in 2006 and was the backup quarterback when the team won the Grey Cup in 2007. He was the team’s starting pivot when the Roughriders hoisted the trophy once more in 2013, in front of their fans in Regina.
In 155 career-games, including 111 as the starting quarterback, the 34-year-old completed 2,186 of his 3,519 passes, amassing 28,136 yards, while throwing 149 touchdown passes. He currently stands 16th all-time in the CFL for career passing yards. He also carried the ball on 369 occasions throughout his career, cumulating 2,888 yards and scoring 21 rushing majors along the way. He has a 5-1 record as a starting quarterback in playoff games.
“We are more than pleased to be able to acquire a quarterback of the caliber of Darian Durant and we are confident that we can reach a new agreement with him,” declared Alouettes General Manager Kavis Reed. “As we stated from the get go, our intention was to acquire a veteran quarterback and we just obtained a player who continues to perform at a high level, which will make him the ideal role model for our young quarterbacks.”
Last season, the Florence, SC native amassed 3,468 yards as he completed 290 of his 431 passes, while throwing 14 touchdown passes. He also scored five rushing touchdowns, as he carried the ball 51 times for gains of 274 yards.
The former University of North Carolina Tar Heel also led the Riders to the Grey Cup game in 2009 and 2010. Both times, the team was defeated by the Alouettes. He was also named a West Division All-Star in 2009 and 2013.
