Montreal Alouettes lock up Darian Durant for 3 years

After a trade that shook Rider Nation to its core, Darian Durant is officially an Alouette.

The Grey Cup winning former Roughrider quarterback was sent to Montreal just weeks before official free agency for two draft picks.

Durant was set to become a free agent on Feb. 14, but the trade gave the Alouettes exclusive negotiating rights with him before that deadline.

“We analyzed all the risk of doing this and we feel that we put ourselves in a better position to have his rights right now, not to have someone else introduced into the fray,” Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed said at a press conference in Montreal the day of the trade.

He turned out to be right about that. The club announced Thursday afternoon they reached a three-year deal with Durant that will keep him with the team through the 2019 season.

According to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, the deal is worth $1.25 million, including $400,000 in the first year with $225,000 as a signing bonus.

Terms of Durant’s deal w/ Als, per #CFL sources: 3-year deal worth $1.25 million. Year 1 $400,000 guaranteed, 225k of it in a signing bonus.

— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) January 19, 2017

“We are in a situation where we want to win right away,” Reed said last week.

“Having someone of his caliber gives us three things: a quarterback that can help us win, gives us a leader on the field and in the locker room and also it gives us someone who can serve as an example for the next guy that we’re hoping to develop.”

Durant and Reed are set to address Montreal media Friday.