Article content continued

“But I knew that I wanted to come back to Edmonton, and me and Brock knew I was coming back to Edmonton long before I signed my contract.”

Photo by Darryl Dyck / CP

After achieving CFL all-star status in his third year with the Eskimos on the way to the 2015 Grey Cup championship, Grymes spent 2016 with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. He was set to return for 2017 before being waived ahead of the regular season and rejoining Edmonton for last year’s playoff push.

Technically, he became a free agent as of Feb. 13, but despite having a head coach and a general manager from that Grey Cup winning year now running the show on either side of the provincial border, Grymes said there was no question in his mind what CFL club he was picking.

“Edmonton was home. I got calls from guys and I never shut doors of opportunity, in this business you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “So I definitely accepted phone calls and talked to guys but I was coming back to Edmonton as long as the situation was what me and Brock talked about.

“He was a man of his word and he made it happen, he expected the same from me and we did that. We got it done, it kind of was an easy deal to get done. I wanted to be here, he wanted me here.

“We really just gave myself time for the NFL, otherwise I probably could have signed a while ago.”

It took a leap of faith from both the team and the player.

“He trusted me, I trusted him and there’s probably a handful of players that you could set aside money like that, even through free agency,” said Sunderland, who wasn’t as involved as he otherwise could have been in last week’s free-agent frenzy. “It was a huge gamble.”

And, of course, once Grymes signed on with the Eskimos, he no longer has the option of playing down south for another year.

“That’s why we also agreed to make some time for when you do make the decision, your heart’s in the right place and you’re not looking over your shoulder saying: ‘What would have? Or, did I commit too early?’” Sunderland said. “I think it’s healthy to give players that time so they know without a shadow of a doubt that they’re ready to come up here.”

Email:gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter:@GerryModdejonge