Chris Williams is looking for a way out of Hamilton.

Multiple sources say the Ticats receiver and kick returner has asked the CFL player's association to investigate whether the team violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with hopes of having the final year of his contract with the club declared void.

At issue is a little-known provision within the league's CBA which stipulates that every player must be offered a minimum-term contract – one-year plus a team-held option – even if the club is offering as longer-term contract as well. Williams was signed to a three-year contract (two-year-plus-an-option) in May 2011 and is contending that he was not offered a minimum deal at the time.

Ticat general manager and head coach Kent Austin, who was not with the club when they signed Williams, says the team has not received a formal complaint from the players association. He declined to comment on the specifics but acknowledged there have been discussions with Williams' agent, Dan Vertlieb.

“They've raised a concern but that doesn't equal making a valid and binding contract invalid,” Austin said. “We have a valid and binding contract with Chris.”

Vertlieb did not respond to multiple emails and calls seeking comment and a message for Williams was not returned. Vertlieb was not Williams' agent when the initial deal was signed.

Sources say discussions between the team, the player's association and the Williams camp are currently ongoing and the issue could be forwarded to an independent arbitrator if a solution isn't reached.

Should Williams hit the open market, he would likely look to sign a contract with an NFL team, a number of which have already expressed interest. Williams took to Twitter last month to express his frustration with the situation.

“im beefin with my squad im not going back,” he wrote to a former teammate using his account, @cwillkl80. The Tweet was quickly deleted.

Williams will not attend the team's off-season workouts from April 17 to 19 in Hamilton. The sessions are optional, though the majority of skill players – particularly quarterbacks and receivers – have been present the last three years.

“I'm not concerned about that. It's a voluntary participation,” Austin said. “At the end of the day, you get your work done in training camp.”

Williams, 25, won the CFL's most outstanding rookie award in 2011 and then followed that up with a campaign that saw him set a record with six kick return touchdowns and earn the league most outstanding special teams player honours (not to mention his almost 1,300 receiving yards).

Under his existing CFL deal, sources say Williams is earning between $50,000 and $60,000 a season.

That pales in comparison to the NFL minimum of $405,000 for 2013, with practice squad players earning around $90,000. Williams could potentially sit out the entire 2013 Ticats season and still become a free agent next February.

But Austin said the team has been trying to negotiate a contract extension with Williams, which would be lucrative by CFL standards.

“We have been consistent in letting his representative know that we're willing to re-negotiate his contract and make him one of the highest paid, non-quarterback import players in this league,” Austin said.

Such a deal would like see Williams make in excess of $160,000 but would also put him under Ticat control for at least another two seasons, further delaying – and potentially scuttling – any NFL opportunity. And a handshake deal that would see hm walk after just one season – like the one the Argos gave defensive lineman Armond Armstead – isn't on the table.

“We have been consistent with our message on what we're willing to do and those are consistent with league standards,” Austin said.