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To the surprise of nobody, it appears the Alouettes have presented quarterback Darian Durant and his agent with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum. Now it becomes a question of which side will blink first.

General manager Kavis Reed went to great expense a year ago to acquire the veteran from Saskatchewan, trading two draft picks — including what would become the 10th overall pick this May — and then signed Durant to a three-year, $1.25-million contract.

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But Durant and the Als struggled last season. Montreal went 3-15 and missed the Canadian Football League playoffs a third straight year. Durant passed for 3,233 yards and 15 touchdowns, but was intercepted 16 times and was benched on several occasions.

Durant, 35, is due a reported off-season bonus of $150,000 this Monday. It would be frivolous on both Reed’s and the Als’ behalf to pay that money should he no longer fit into the organization’s plans. Or if the new coaching staff — head coach Mike Sherman and offensive co-ordinator Khari Jones — believes Durant is only a backup at this stage of his career.