Former Argo QB James Franklin Retires

[jerrym]

Former Argo QB James Franklin, whom the Argos brought in as potentially the next starting QB after Ricky Ray, has retired, never having lived up to his early promise in Edmonton. Although he tied a record for TDs by a QB, that was primarily by short yardage QB sneaks.



James Franklin (https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/quarterback-james-franklin-understands-his-role-with-saskatchewan-roughriders), who signed two contracts with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (https://leaderpost.com/category/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/)but never actually played in a game for them, has announced his retirement from football.

Franklin, 29, spent five seasons in the CFL — three with Edmonton and two with the Toronto Argonauts — before signing a one-year contract with the Roughriders last year. The 2020 CFL season was subsequently cancelled due to COVID-19 (https://leaderpost.com/tag/coronavirus/). ...

He had re-signed with the Roughriders in January (https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-sign-national-linebacker-blair-smith), but has since experienced a change of heart.

In 79 CFL games, he completed 378 of 573 passes for 4,305 yards, with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 593 yards and 17 touchdowns, including 14 with the Argonauts in 2018. That year, he tied Doug Flutie’s league record for most rushing TDs in a season by a quarterback. Flutie rushed for 14 majors with the B.C. Lions in 1991.
https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-quarterback-james-franklin-announces-retirement

[Argo57]

Former Argo QB James Franklin, whom the Argos brought in as potentially the next starting QB after Ricky Ray, has retired, never having lived up to his early promise in Edmonton. Although he tied a record for TDs by a QB, that was primarily by short yardage QB sneaks.

https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-quarterback-james-franklin-announces-retirement

Shame, always seemed like a good respectful guy.
Franklin had a ton of talent but got caught in a bad situation in Toronto with Trestman.
Wish him well!

[argolio]

So much promise as a backup, so little production as a starter. The 55-8 loss @ BC in 2019 was the end of that promise.

[AngeloV]

So much promise as a backup, so little production as a starter. The 55-8 loss @ BC in 2019 was the end of that promise.

MBT’s fault. 😉

[gilthethrill]

Franklin led the league with 14 rushing TDs in 2018 and was “ Black Listed” from the All-Star team.

In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Franklin for his contributions and wish him well in his future endevors.

[Argo57]

Franklin led the league with 14 rushing TDs in 2018 and was “ Black Listed” from the All-Star team.

In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Franklin for his contributions and wish him well in his future endevors.

And with that announcement Franklin is officially retired.

[gilthethrill]

And with that announcement Franklin is officially retired.

There is no coming back.

[Argo57]

There is no coming back.

That’s understood, once you give them they royal sendoff it’s officially over.

[Stevoman]

I was so hyped when they got this guy but it really didn't pan out. I don't know, I know Trestman had his preferences but I'm not sure if Franklin was able to handle the criticisms well enough. Reading his farewell letter it still sounded like he was bitter towards certain coaches and media and yet he never proved them wrong.

I was at the 55-8 humiliation in B.C. and for a quarterback supposedly fighting for his football future it was definitely telling that he was not going to have one with the Argos.

I wish he had rose to his ability level in this league as he would've been a fantastic representative in the community.

[jerrym]

James Franklin comments on why he retired below without giving us much detail.



Thank you God for the opportunities, experiences, and people I met. Thank you family for being there for me, always. Thank you friends for the prayers and support. Thank you fans for believing in me when I doubted myself & the fans who hated & didn’t believe; you taught me to block out the nonsense.

Thank you media who looked to highlight the good & create drama, teaching me to use verbal self control. Thank you coaches who taught me how important it is to be able to disregard your belief in me & to the ones who understood how much they could impact my mindset & build me up.

Thank you teammates who had my back & believed in me to lead on the field & the teammates who turned their backs on me when things got rough. Thank you general managers who invested in me as more than just a business decision.Thank you equipment staffers who were looked down upon by players but still cleaned up after us in the locker rooms & made sure we had the equipment we needed to feel good & play.

Thank you athletic therapists who continued to take care of us so we could play the game ever after hearing every excuse as to why we didn’t show up for treatment.



Thank you administration for always helping me get tickets lined up for games, getting gear ordered for friends & family & organizing public events. Thank you strength & nutritionists for providing us with plans to help us perform to the best we could physically.

Football taught me a lot. One of the most important things it taught me is what I want. And it’s not football anymore. Thank you football.
https://3downnation.com/2021/04/11/james-franklin-explains-his-decision-to-retire-what-i-want-is-not-football-anymore/

[ArgoGabe22]

Seems like a nice guy who just wanted to have fun out there. Maybe I'm one of the haters he's thanking but I just don't think he was mentally prepared to be a hot commodity backup turned starter. Just couldn't handle that pressure. Maybe it just wasn't fun anymore.

[AngeloV]

Seems like a nice guy who just wanted to have fun out there. Maybe I'm one of the haters he's thanking but I just don't think he was mentally prepared to be a hot commodity backup turned starter. Just couldn't handle that pressure. Maybe it just wasn't fun anymore.

I think Trestman may be responsible for a lot of his self doubt. He was a good dude that just had a bad time in Toronto. I wish him nothing but the best

[Will]

I think he had many of the tools to succeed, but just couldn't put it together. He didn't have the ideal coaching environment in his two years in Toronto that's for certain.

His sample size before coming to Toronto also wasn't as large as I had initially thought. He looked good in several games against a Casey Creehan led Argos D, but really wasn't getting a ton of playing time beyond that.