TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts have taken another quarterback off the free agent board, signing McLeod Bethel-Thompson to a one-year extension. Bethel-Thompson was the 14th ranked player on CFL.ca’s Top 30 Pending Free Agent list.

Bethel-Thompson has spent his entire three-year CFL tenure with the Toronto Argonauts. He earned the starting job midway through the 2018 season and was one of the pivots vying for the starters role heading into 2019.

He and James Franklin split starts through the first portion of the year, but Bethel-Thompson started to get the lion’s share.

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“I’m very excited. I can’t tell you how excited I am for this 2020 campaign and what we’re building here,” Bethel-Thompson said in a statement.

Bethel-Thompson readies for 2020 under the tutelage of new head coach Ryan Dinwiddie who will be heavily involved in the offensive scheme and play-calling.

“He played the position, he sees the field like a quarterback,” Bethel-Thompson said of his new bench boss. “I have high, high expectations for myself and I think he does as well.”

In a team-issued statement, Dinwiddie added, “We’re thrilled to have him back. Athletically, he’s got an arm that can make all the throws and he moves around in the pocket well, but the number one thing I love is his work ethic. Nobody works harder than McLeod does.”

With Bethel-Thompson now retained and Franklin set to his free agency, the Argos now turn their focus to shoring up their QB room to compete with their incumbent starter. It has been widely rumoured that the Argonauts could look to bring in former Bombers QB Matt Nichols but no movement has been reported on that front since last week.

The 31-year-old suited up for all 18 games for the Argos this past season, completing 68 percent of his passes for 4,024 yards and a league-best 26 touchdowns.

In 42 career games, Bethel-Thompson has completed 67 percent of his passes for 6,227 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Prior to his time in the CFL, Bethel-Thompson spent time in the NFL, seeing stints with the San Fransisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.