As the years have gone on, Ottawa REDBLACKS receiver Justin Hardy has only become more impactful.
Following five years with the Atlanta Falcons, and a preseason stint with the Chicago Bears, Hardy inked a deal with the REDBLACKS, seeing action in seven games in 2022, though he was confined to the bench for much of his first season north of the border.
In 2023, he broke out, and in 2024, he solidified himself among the best receivers in the league, leading the CFL in receptions with 97, and finishing second in receiving yards with 1,343. The Washington, DC native also hit paydirt five times, the most since 2014 at East Carolina University.
With Hardy set to become a free agent on February 13th at noon, the longer the 33-year-old remained unsigned, the more the rumours picked up. However, it has been a common occurrence for him to take a little while, and you need to look back no further than last offseason, when he wasn’t signed until February 4th.
With low stress levels all around, Hardy agreed to a new deal to stay in the nation’s capital in late January, adding his name to the many that have re-upped with the REDBLACKS.
“I’m very excited,” he said of all the faces returning. “Last year was a great stepping stone, it gives us something to build on and we just want to carry it over in a positive light.”
The prospect of reaching free agency was never something that really interested Hardy, he says. All along, he wanted to be a REDBLACK and help bring the Grey Cup back to Ottawa for the first time since 2016.
“I want to win here,” Hardy said of the only home he’s ever known in the CFL. “Getting back here was important to me.”
Of course, General Manager Shawn Burke has been busy re-signing players, but other news around the club has sparked plenty of excitement, whether it’s the coaching hires of William Fields and Rick Campbell or the early signing of Will Stanback, one of the top running backs in terms of yardage in 2024.
“It’s good to see,” Hardy said. “We’re definitely taking the right steps to win football games. It’s good to see us taking those shots.”
Individually, Hardy’s game doesn’t rely on any single freakish trait, but rather consistency in all aspects. You don’t expect to see him outrun someone deep down the field, and you likely won’t see him leap over the top of defenders to make some insane catch — though he did do both at different points in 2024 — but Hardy is one of the most versatile receivers in the league.
What he always brings to the table is a security blanket for his quarterback. They can have faith that number two will get open, and when the ball is thrown his way, he’ll make the catch and turn upfield for positive yards. Consistently reliable, available and secure; a quarterback’s dream.
“I feel like if I come in, day in, day out and do what I’m supposed to do, everything is taking care of itself,” Hardy said. “That’s how I approach the game.”
As good as he’s been in his REDBLACKS tenure, Hardy hasn’t reached his desired results of winning a Grey Cup yet. Still working with the same determination for improvement he was as a 24-year-old with the Falcons, it’s possible that you haven’t seen the American’s best form.
“I hang my hat on getting 1 percent better every day,” Hardy said. “feel like I’m in great shape and I can be the most consistent [version of myself] we have seen. I feel like I can do it.”
