Article content

Javier Arenas got that taste of the NFL so many kids dream of.

With five years of paydays, he made more than $4 million.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Arenas wants to make the most of his chance with the Redblacks Back to video

So when you see him out on a football field practising with a team that plays in a league where the minimum salary is $53,000, you know it’s not about the money.

A second-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs (2010), Arenas is in training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks. In his journey north to the CFL, Arenas is looking to continue playing a sport he has a strong passion for. He’s refocused, rededicated to excelling and working on the areas that may have held him back in the NFL.

“The NFL, it was good,” Arenas said. “Technically, I played seven years. Five years, I was on somebody’s roster and I was in camp the other two. I’m not mad. I had my opportunity. I know I could have done more. I know why I’m not playing in the NFL right now. I had the opportunity to come up here, I can do all the things I should have done, little extra things like taking care of my body, watching more film and being better prepared.