Vince Young officially signing with CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders

Vince Young officially signs with the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young is coming out of retirement to join the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

After winning a National Championship at Texas, Young was drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2006. Young won Rookie of the Year with the Titans, but his tenure in Tennessee ended after five years. Former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and Young butted heads on multiple occasions, leading to owner Bud Adams letting both of them go following the 2010 season.

After leaving the Titans, Young signed with the Eagles, appearing as a backup for one season. Between 2012-14, Young attended training camp with the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, but failed to make the team out of camp.

In June 2014, Young announced his retirement and began working for the University of Texas. After three years away from football and six years since taking a regular season snap, Young is coming out of retirement to join the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Coming out of Texas, Young’s dual-threat abilities would have made him the perfect quarterback for the CFL. However it’s unclear what type of athlete the Roughriders will be getting in the 33-year-old Young.

In addition to getting used to the speed of football after three years away, Young will have to adjust to the different rules in the CFL. The CFL uses three downs instead of four, with a shorter play clock than the NFL. The CFL is also played on a longer and wider field with 12 players on both sides of the ball.

How soon Young sees the field in the Saskatchewan capital city of Regina all depends on how fast he is able to understand the rule changes and understand the playbook. Despite his inactivity over the past few years, Young has an opportunity to win the starting job with the Roughriders.

The Riders currently have 37-year-old veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn under contract. Glenn is entering his 17th season in the CFL. Despite throwing for 270 career touchdowns and 48,782 yards in his career, Glenn has never been viewed as one of the league’s best starting quarterbacks. Glenn is the lowest paid starting quarterback in the league and has never played in the Grey Cup.

Young’s contract with the Roughriders is the standard two-year rookie contract.