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“He has matured a lot since 2012,” McAdoo said. “He was fresh out of college and there were a lot of things to learn. You can see how he has progressed and become a leader.

“That’s one of the biggest things. We knew that he had spunk when we were in Toronto. Now his leadership has blossomed and that’s really big.”

In 2012, Jones, McAdoo and Collaros (as a backup to Ricky Ray) shared in Toronto’s 35-22 Grey Cup victory over the Calgary Stampeders.

They remained with Argonauts through the 2013 season, after which Jones was hired as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos and added McAdoo as his offensive co-ordinator.

Collaros signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a free agent. He guided them to the 2014 Grey Cup game and was on track for CFL most-outstanding-player honours in 2015 before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Jones-coached Eskimos.

Collaros returned to the field in 2016, only to struggle through that season and the one that followed.

He was benched in favour of Jeremiah Masoli after losing 12 consecutive games as a starter over a two-season span. On Jan. 3, the Riders traded a second-round pick (10th overall) in the 2018 CFL draft to the Tiger-Cats for Collaros.

“I believe there are things that you go through in life that make you stronger,” McAdoo said. “With him being the competitor that he is, he takes it in stride and keeps on rolling because he has something to prove.”

Collaros has adapted quickly to the Riders’ offensive system, an adjustment he credits to the experience he gained with the Argonauts.