New Argos running back Harris says he's always played with a chip on his shoulder

TORONTO — Andrew Harris has played football with a huge chip on his shoulder for the last 11 seasons and that's not about to change with the Toronto Argonauts.

Harris, who turns 35 in April, signed with Toronto on Tuesday, the first day of CFL free agency. The move spelled the end of Harris's successful five-year tenure with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2016-19, 2021), one that saw the five-foot-10 216-pounder top the league in rushing three times and lead his hometown team to consecutive Grey Cups.

"I've always had to prove myself being a Canadian running back coming from junior," Harris told reporters during a videoconference Thursday. "When I started off with the Lions it was that way. When I left the Lions, people thought I was too old at that point, even though I was in my late 20s.

"And then just with the split with the Bombers … I'm sure there's a lot of questions marks and people wondering if I can still contribute at a high level and do what I do. I'm looking forward to proving everyone wrong and keeping that chip on my shoulder. I'm really excited about putting my best foot forward and having an amazing year, one of the best years I've ever had in my career."

Its certainly been a stellar career for Harris, who joined the B.C. Lions in 2010 after playing junior football with the Vancouver Island Raiders. Since then, Harris has been named a league all-star five times and its top Canadian (2017), played for three Grey Cup-winning teams (B.C. in 2011, Winnipeg in 2019 and '21) and become the first player to be named the Grey Cup MVP and top Canadian (2019).

Harris led the CFL in rushing three times and is the top-running Canadian in league history with 9,661 yards. Even last season when he was limited to seven