Roughriders retain Evans, Moore for 2022 | The Canadian News

Shaq Evans wants to bring it back in 2022.

Knowing that his team was only games away from Gray Cup appearances in rugby seasons, Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Shaq Evans chose to sign with the Green and White again, instead of hitting free agency.

“I feel like we have unfinished business,” Evans says. “I feel like we were so close and a lot of the guys talked about running it back at the end of the season, because we were just there.

“If I want to win a Gray Cup now, I would rather not do it anywhere other than Saskatchewan.”

Last week, the Riders also announced a contract extension for fellow American receiver Kyran Moore. Both players will enter their fourth season with the team after breaking into the league together in 2018. Since then, they have each made significant contributions to the offense, with Evans picking up 2,343 receiving yards in 42 career games, while Moore has 2,056. meters in 39 games.

Last season, however, both men sustained injuries. Evans broke his tibia in Week 2 and missed 10 weeks while recovering. He did return to play five games, but he did not make the impact he was used to.

“Even when I came back, I still felt it and it touched me,” Evans said. “I was not aggressive. I always looked around, to see if anyone was going to roll on my ankle, because it was quite tender.

“I am definitely highly motivated to keep the doubters quiet and prove to myself that I am who I think I am.”

Moore, meanwhile, injured his knee in week 13 and was forced to miss the rest of the year. It was diagnosed as having a torn ACL with an 80 percent tear of its MCL, which required surgery. Despite his absence, Moore still finished as the Riders’ leading receiver in 2021, with 585 yards in 11 games.

“Overall, it’s been a pretty good year for myself,” Moore said. “I’ve never been hurt, so it’s a humble experience.”

And while he looks forward to the 2022 season, Moore still has a long way to go after his knee surgery, which usually puts a player on the sidelines for nine months.

“It felt better, rehabilitation comes in handy,” Moore says. “(To be ready for training camp) is quite in the air at the moment.”