Photo courtesy: Matt Smith/CFL.
The Ottawa Redblacks have had conversations with pending free agent receiver Justin Hardy about a potential contract extension.
“We love Justin. He does as much off the field as he does on the field for us. I’ve been communicating with his representation. Deals take time, you have to see how everything ebbs and flows. On top of that, having Ryan [Dinwiddie] join our staff,” said vice president of football operations Shawn Burke from the CFL’s winter meetings.
“When I addressed the players at the end of the year, I said, ‘We’re going to take our time to evaluate things.’ The reality is, we have to be a better football team, and that takes honest evaluation to go through. We’re conversing with Justin. Definitely an important part of our organization.”
The 34-year-old produced his third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2025 despite working with four different starting quarterbacks: Dru Brown, Matthew Shiltz, Dustin Crum, and Tyrie Adams. He recorded 78 receptions for 1,019 yards with eight touchdowns in 18 regular-season games.
Hardy was the third-highest paid pass-catcher in the CFL last season, earning $227,000 for his efforts. He’s been named a CFL all-star once and East Division all-star three times since signing with Ottawa in 2022. The Vanceboro, N.C. native has registered 304 catches for 3,787 yards with 16 touchdowns over 59 career CFL games.
“I say that since Justin came in these doors, I’ve had a great relationship with him. He’s given the organization everything he has, I know he wants to be a Redblack and help us win football games here,” Burke said. “Until you get pen to paper, there’s nothing final in this business.”
After his two-year CFL rookie contract expired following the 2023 season, Hardy has signed two one-year contract extensions with Ottawa. He led the three-down league with 97 receptions in 2024 and ranked second with 1,343 receiving yards, earning $147,000 that year.
Hardy was selected in the fourth round, 107th overall during the 2015 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons out of East Carolina University. He posted 95 receptions for 946 yards with nine touchdowns over 73 career NFL games and earned over $3.8 million USD in five years with the team.