New Argos receiver Banks has no axe to grind with Hamilton Tiger-Cats

TORONTO, Kan. — Brandon Banks says he doesn't have an axe to grind with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The all-star receiver signed as a free agent with the Toronto Argonauts Sunday following eight productive seasons in Hamilton. In December, Banks said he couldn't see himself playing for another CFL team and was willing to take less money to finish his career with the Ticats.

Banks politely declined Tuesday to discuss the specifics of his departure from Hamilton, saying it was a mutual decision.

"To be honest, I didn't want to be the veteran who held up the organization because they're trying to be nice to me," Banks told reporters during a video conference. "It was just a mutual agreement … to move on and go our separate ways, that's pretty much what it was.

"At the end of the day I don't think it came down to money, they were just trying to go younger. They've got some good, young players there and I agree with them. There are no hard feelings."

The mercurial Banks — affectionately dubbed Speedy B — anchored Hamilton's receiving corps in 2019 when he was named the CFL's outstanding player after registering 112 catches for 1,550 yards and 13 TDs (all career highs). But the five-foot-seven, 155-pound Banks struggled with injuries last season, recording 44 receptions for 474 yards and two touchdowns in 10 regular-season contests.

And in both years, Hamilton lost to Winnipeg in the Grey Cup. But the 34-year-old Banks said he sensed shortly after the Ticats' 33-25 overtime loss to the Bombers on Dec. 12 at Tim Hortons Field that his time in Steeltown had ended.

"I pretty much knew," Banks said. "I have the utmost respect for that organization.

"It was just time to move on."

Banks registered 422 catches for 5,678 yards and 44 TDs