Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
“I wouldn’t say that it’s the end, but that’s a conversation that I need to have with my wife and family and see what’s out there and what’s available.” — Jovon Johnson on Nov. 20, discussing the possibility of his retirement over the off-season.
Jovon Johnson’s chat with his better half wasn’t a long one.
“The conversation about retirement lasted all of about 30 seconds,” a chuckling Johnson said Thursday after the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders announced they had signed the veteran defensive back to a one-year contract extension.
“She was more motivated (about re-signing) than me,” Johnson said of his wife, Yodanna. “She always tells me that I’m still young and that I can still play. For me, it’s more so the opportunity.
“If I have the opportunity and somebody’s going to allow me to be myself and not try to change the player I am, then I’ll continue to do it. If anybody ever wants me to change and be who I’m not, then that’s when I’ll say I’m done with it.”
That clearly isn’t the case at the moment.
Johnson, 34, could have become a free agent on Feb. 13, but he opted to sign an extension that will keep him with the Roughriders through the 2018 season.
Saskatchewan also announced it had signed offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman to a two-year contract extension. Coleman, who also was slated to hit the free-agent market in February, is now under contract with the Green and White through the 2019 campaign.
Those transactions, along with the re-signing of quarterback Brandon Bridge on Wednesday, drop the number of Roughriders who can become free agents in February to 17.
Johnson began his CFL career with the Roughriders in 2007. Stops in Winnipeg (2008-13), Ottawa (2014-15) and Montreal (2016) followed before he rejoined Saskatchewan in June of last season, shortly after he was released by the Alouettes.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder played 18 regular-season games with Saskatchewan, recording 39 tackles, 14 pass knockdowns, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He added seven tackles and a pick over the Roughriders’ two playoff games.
He also offered guidance to his younger teammates while showing that he still could get the job done.
“I’ve always had that fire to prove people wrong,” Johnson said from Erie, Pa. “Anytime that I’ve left a team, I’ve always come back, resurfaced and played well.
“It was just a great opportunity for me to continue to have an impact on the community, help build the organization, get the young guys up to par and make sure they were taking care of business. My leadership and mentoring of the young guys is the reason (the team) wanted me back and I’m happy to be where I am.”
Johnson already has started preparing for the 2018 campaign — it will be his 12th CFL season — as he again looks to hold off Father Time.
The veteran corner is following the same training regimen that he has done in previous off-seasons and is determined to be better than he was in 2017.
On the day the Roughriders cleaned out their lockers in November, Johnson suggested that he and the team already had reached an agreement on a new contract. He had to talk to Yodanna before signing — and, as mentioned previously, that discussion didn’t last long.
“We had the conversation and the itch to play is still there for me,” Johnson said. “It was more so about the opportunities that I had in front of me.
“If there was going to be a team that would give me an opportunity to continue to do what I love, then I would take it. If nobody came knocking, then I probably would have called it a career.”
But the Roughriders came knocking, well before the free-agent deadline.
“Knowing that my time was appreciated and the things that I was able to accomplish this year with the team were appreciated was more than enough for me to agree to terms,” Johnson said. “Knowing that they wanted me back and that I had a great relationship with Coach (Chris) Jones and the front office, it was just a perfect fit and a perfect opportunity for me.”
Coleman, 32, has played two seasons with the Roughriders since being acquired from the Edmonton Eskimos in May of 2016.
It’s the second off-season in which the 6-foot-8, 320-pound product of Waukegan, Ill., has re-signed with Saskatchewan. He inked a one-year contract in February of this year after becoming a free agent.
Coleman was named the Roughriders’ most outstanding offensive lineman in 2016 after playing games at both tackle spots. In 2017, he played 18 regular-season games, the East Division semifinal and the East final at right tackle.
