“Where my heart is”: Demski from the Blue Bombers will hang his hat at home for another three years

Winnipeg Blue Bombers
football
CFL

Nic Demski talks about his contract extension with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Monday. Photo by KEVIN KING /Winnipeg Sun

Being a local sports hero undoubtedly has its amazing moments.

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However, every now and then it can get a little too intense.

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One of those cases: When off-season contract talks drag on until the eleventh hour and it looks like you might be able to walk out the door.

Receiver Nic Demski was one sleep away from hitting the CFL Free Agency’s doorstep over the weekend, during the time when other teams can seek offers.

That just could not be the case. What was wrong? Why wasn’t a new deal made for the Oak Park High and University of Manitoba Bisons product?

Friends and family bombarded Demski with these questions until news of his signing broke on Sunday.

“I would honestly try to ignore them as much as possible,” a laughing Demski said Monday. “Because, honestly, it was starting to wear off on me. I’m just telling them to be patient. This is part of it. I remember that in 2019 I almost certainly signed two days before the free agency opened.

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“So that’s something similar … it’s part of the business.”

It can be an eye-opening, sometimes even uncomfortable, part of it.

In Demski’s case, it sounds like at one point he and the bombers were at least a medium-range throw apart.

Once again, being from Winnipeg doesn’t always help in these situations, as teams may expect to receive a hometown discount.

Demski doesn’t want to admit that. But he makes no secret of wanting to stay in his hometown from the start.

Add in the fact that he wanted a long-term deal and some guaranteed money, as new contract rules allow, and things got a little “complicated” between his agent and GM Kyle Walters — to the point that the search after another football address was different chance.

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“Sometimes in this business you can’t get lost in the wind when it’s down to the last minute,” says Demski. “And you have to think like that, outside the box. Can I imagine myself somewhere else? NO.

“This is where my heart beats. As simple as that.”

Complicated in detail, but simple in essence.

The good news for Demski: He no longer has to worry about this part of the business.

The 29-year-old joined quarterback Zach Collaros as the only player to sign a three-year extension.

This is no coincidence.

The day Collaros arrived at the 2019 trade deadline, a chemistry began between the Ohio product and the local kid, who had come home as a free agent a season earlier.

“It’s a huge factor. As soon as he signed that three-year contract, my head was spinning,” said Demski.

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“Honestly, I wouldn’t want to play with any quarterback other than Zach right now. Just as we see the field together. There’s a lot more things we agree on than disagree, and when you have that kind of chemistry with a quarterback, it gets you a lot further.

How far has Demski gone this past season: to career-highs of 64 catches, 772 yards and 10 touchdowns, all the while detailing the first-round draft pick Saskatchewan gave him in 2015. And all this despite missing five games through injury.

How much better can he get?

“Honestly, guys might have touchdowns at the top of their list, guys might have yards,” Demski said. “My goal this year is to stay on the field for all 18 games and hopefully three more after that.”

Other factors that have kept No. 10 blue and gold are the diverse ways offensive coordinator Buck Pierce uses him — in the short game, deep game, even running game — the family atmosphere the Bombers cultivate, and that extra something they all missed in last year’s Gray Cup game.

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“Everything just felt right, everything fits,” said Demski. “With what was taken away from us last year, we all wanted to come back and kick it in the can one more time.”

Multi-year deal or not, the Bombers can probably rest assured that their top Canadian hasn’t taken anything for granted over the past two seasons.

Demski is notoriously hard on himself, saying he goes to every training camp thinking he needs to earn a job.

They feel he’s at his best when he’s focused on what’s right in front of him, not the road or the big picture.

Which brings us to one of the better parts of playing in his hometown: telling his mom he finally had a new deal.

“She screamed and cried when I told her,” Demski said. “She was pumped.”

your son too.

“I’m excited. I’m so happy. That’s what I feel born for. Play football and have fun.”

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Twitter: @friesensunmedia

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Source: winnipegsun.com

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