REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders have re-signed wide receiver Jordan Williams-Lambert to a one-year extension.

The 26-year-old considered entering free-agency, which opens Feb. 9, but chose to stay with the Riders.

“I took pride in what I built with that specific organization, I take pride in the fan base they have there,” Williams-Lambert said.

The American wide-receiver is known for a productive 2018 rookie season that earned him the West Division’s Most Outstanding Rookie award.

He finished second on the Riders for receiving yards in 2018 with 764. He was also tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns, with four.

After a brief stint in the NFL preseason with the Chicago Bears, Williams-Lambert returned to the Green and White to end the 2019 season, playing in three games and recording five receptions for 57 yards.

Williams-Lambert revealed he was dealing with foot and hamstring injuries during the 2019 season, which he suffered during his time in Chicago.

“I felt bad trying to step on their season because I wasn’t me,” Williams-Lambert said “They had a lot of things going and I didn’t want to stop the flow. So speaking with coach [Dickenson] influenced me to kind of take the back burner.”

Williams-Lambert said the past year has given him a chance to fix the nagging injuries.

11 of the 12 receivers from the 2019 roster are back on the 2021 team, but for ‘J-Will’, as his teammates call him, it was about who was behind centre.

“It had nothing to do with looking at the roster, a lot to do with who was throwing the ball and who was going to be throwing the ball in the future,” the wide receiver said.

During the extended CFL offseason, he said he worked with Isaac Harker. The two live 30 minutes away from each other in the suburbs of Indiana.

Williams-Lambert also made a trip to Nevada to work with Cody Fajardo, the Riders number one quarterback.

“I kind of want to see what he's about to see his work ethic. See where he comes from, and see how people can kind of downplay what he's built,” Williams-Lambert said.

Now the receiver is looking forward to rejoining the full team in Regina.

“Just seeing the benefits of having this time off working on some of the deficiencies I've had health-wise,” he said. “I'm looking forward to seeing how it correlates on the field.”

CFL Free Agency opens at 11 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2021.