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Alouettes sign Brandon London to a three-year deal, keeping a top talent in the fold

Not all of the notable moves in the CFL offseason are about free agents or trades. Montreal receiver Brandon London wasn't a pending free agent, but the news that the Alouettes have signed him to a contract extension that should keep him with the team for the next three seasons is still quite remarkable. London's long had interest from south of the border, and he played for the Giants, Dolphins and Steelers before heading to Canada in 2011, so it wouldn't have been surprising to see him try to catch on with an NFL team when his deal expired. Given his productivity last season, it also wouldn't have been surprising to see him try and create a bidding war in CFL free agency when his contract ran out. Instead, he's agreed to forgo free agency and stick around in Montreal. That seems like an obvious victory for the Alouettes, but it could work out well for London as well.

What London accomplished on the field in 2012, his first season as a starter, certainly suggested he's capable of great things in the CFL. His raw numbers of 43 receptions for 843 yards and three touchdowns are nice enough, but they don't tell the whole story. Most crucially, those totals came in just 12 games (he missed six regular-season games thanks to injury), and they came on a team that featured two prominent receiving stars in S.J. Green and Jamel Richardson. Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo had no shortage of top targets last year, so London had to earn every ball thrown his way, and he did just that, giving the Alouettes' passing offence a new dimension with his speed and his ability to stretch the field vertically. London averaged a team-high 19.6 yards per reception, which says a lot about his quickness and his ability to get open deep. He's also only 28, so he should have plenty of good years left.

Montreal's managed to retain a guy with the ability to be a top CFL receiver for three full seasons, and they've done so after a year where his raw stats weren't dominant, a year where he didn't hit free agency. Both of those elements should make this deal come in atat least a slightly lower price than it could have been. That looks like a significant gain for the Alouettes, who are having a nice offseason. They've also extended star defensive end John Bowman, brought back eight of their pending free agents and nabbed Byron Parker, Arland Bruce and Quinton Porter. Once again, Jim Popp's putting together what looks like a solid lineup not just for this season, but for years to come.

This might just be the right move for London too, though. In his NFL days, he often showed enough to stick around, but never got much of a chance to really prove himself in game situations. The CFL and the Alouettes have now given him that chance, and while signing an extension now may not net London his theoretical peak value, it provides him with some security. (Also, high contracts aren't always completely beneficial in a cap-based league like the CFL, as a player on a high contract's much more likely to be cut or traded than someone pulling in a moderate salary.) Montreal's proven to be a good situation for London so far, and if that continues over the next three years, this deal could work out well for both him and the team.