Fresh off a workout with the New York Giants, Canadian quarterback Brandon Bridge signed his one-year contract extension in Saskatchewan.

But he did leave an impression on the Giants’ personnel men.

“Workout went well. I met with [interim head coach] Steve Spagnuolo and Kevin Abrams the [interim] GM. I felt like it was like the pro day again in college. All the guys were there and the quarterback coach was there as well and I just threw,” Bridge said.

“What they said to me is that they liked me, they said that they want to see a full year of me starting. They said I have the ability to play in the NFL, they just want to see that full year. They liked the flashes of what I did this past season with Saskatchewan. And they said they just want to see a full year of starting and see how I can keep on with that same trend as opposed to the highs and lows.”

Bridge started in Week 13 for the Riders in Hamilton and guided the team to a victory with 231 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two weeks later, the 25-year-old came off the bench to lead a comeback win against Toronto, finishing 20-of-28 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.

Overall, Bridge passed for 1,236 yards with a 66.6 completion percentage (92-of-138) and 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions while adding 20 carries for 127 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He sparked the Riders offence in the East Final, completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown in the team’s defeat. The TD toss was the first by a Canadian in a post-season game since Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.

“It’s an opportunity,” Bridge said about working out for an NFL team. “Obviously, as a kid, you always want to be the best and the NFL is the best, it’s the highest level. So I wanted to challenge myself. Before that whole thing happened I even called coach Jones personally and asked him and he actually was encouraging. He said to go out and give it a shot and best of luck. He said if nothing happens we know that we want you and whatever you have on the table for us we’ll be waiting for you.”

The Giants believe Bridge is a good athlete with plenty of arm strength and velocity that will benefit from more starting experience in the CFL and further coaching to clean up his footwork and technique to help his accuracy.