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January 19, 2016

Rogers busy after all-star season

Receiver Eric Rogers durin gthe 2015 season (Photo by David Moll)

It’s been a whirlwind off-season for Eric Rogers.

Coming off a spectacular 2015 season in which he led the Canadian Football League with 1,448 receiving yards, the lanky Stampeders star has been criss-crossing the United States to work out for National Football League teams.

In fact, the Duarte, Calif., native has visited at least 15 teams in hopes of getting another crack at the NFL.

“I think it’s gone pretty well,” said Rogers this week. “It’s definitely kept me pretty busy, but it’s been fun.”Receiver Eric Rogers makes a catch against the Eskimos on Labour Day 2015 (Photo by David Moll)

The San Diego Chargers, the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys, the team with which Rogers signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013 before coming to Canada, are just some of the clubs for which he has worked out to date.

Rogers can’t officially sign a contract until Feb. 9 when his deal with the Stampeders expires but it’s little wonder teams are lining up to give him a look. At six-foot-three and 210 lbs., Rogers has the size professional teams covet and his all-star season with the Stamps in 2015 certainly turned some heads.

Rogers is trying to follow in the footsteps of other Stamps who established themselves in the NFL, a group that includes defensive lineman Tom Johnson of the Minnesota Vikings and defensive back Brandon Browner of the New Orleans Saints as well as, going a little further back, quarterback Jeff Garcia.

In Rogers’ case, it’s quite a turn of events for a player who played his college ball at Division III California Lutheran. In 2013, Rogers was one of the Cowboys’ final training-camp cuts after signing with Dallas an undrafted free agent but with some CFL experience — not to mention a Grey Cup ring — since added to his resume, the demand for his services has increased dramatically.

“I think I was better prepared for doing this after my time with the Stamps,” said Rogers. “I think it helped a lot with my confidence and it showed teams that when I’m healthy, I can be productive.”Receiver Eric Rogers makes a catch against Montreal on Aug. 1, 2015 (Photo by David Moll)

With all the interest from teams south of the border and the NFL season starting a couple of months later than the CFL’s, it seems a given that, at the very least, Rogers won’t be with the Stamps when camp opens in late May. It’s also possible he will never return to Calgary, although the man himself isn’t ready to close that door and bolt it.

“You never know,” Rogers said with a smile.

In fact, when speaking to the media days after the end of the Stamps’ 2015 season, Rogers made it clear that he’d love the opportunity to revive the partnership with Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

“I told Bo that whatever happens, he’ll be in the loop and that there’s no quarterback I’d rather play with in the CFL than Bo,” he said. “We have that chemistry and (if Rogers comes back to the CFL) it’s going to be wherever Bo’s at.”

If that’s the case, Stampeders fans will be pleased to know that Mitchell is under contract with the Stamps through the 2018 season.