Riders lock up Bane Jr. for next two seasons

Shawn Bane Jr. will remain in Saskatchewan for the next two seasons.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced they have signed the 28-year-old receiver to a two-year contract extension, keeping him in green and white for the next two CFL seasons.

“(We are) happy to get Shawn back. He just had a great year for us and was everything we had hoped for last year when we had signed him in free agency,” general manager Jeremy O’Day said from Frisco, Texas, where he’s attending the annual East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game. “We were trying to add a little bit of speed to our receiving corps, and Shawn can break long ones and he can run all the route tree.

“He’s just an exceptional guy in the locker room so just like all of the guys that we have re-signed, we are excited to have him back and he brings an element to our offence that we are looking for.”

Bane Jr., could have become a free agent Feb. 13. The Roughriders have announced the re-signings of 13 players who could have hit the market and released one; 16 players who were with Saskatchewan last season could still become free agents.

Bane Jr., a product of Sarasota, Fla., played all 18 regular-season games for the Riders last season, hauling in 93 passes — the eighth-most in a season in franchise history. His 1,104 receiving yards were also the most by a first-year Rider since Weston Dressler had 1,123 in 2008.

The 5-foot-9, 178-pound Bane signed with the Riders last February as a free agent after spending the previous three seasons with the Calgary Stampeders. During his time there, he played in 13 games for the Stamps, recording 24 catches for 388 yards and two touchdowns.

Before coming to the CFL, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons after the 2019 NFL draft and attended training camp with the team.

Bane Jr. played four seasons (2015-18) at Northwest Missouri State. He had 212 catches for 3,363 yards and 31 touchdowns over 48 games.