Last year, Ray led the Edmonton Eskimos to the Grey Cup title. He completed 348-of-515 attempts for 4,640 yards and 35 touchdowns during the year. His 67.6 completion percentage was the best in the CFL while his efficiency rating of 108.1 ranked behind only Dave Dickenson of the B.C. Lions. Following the season, Ray was voted the league’s MVP by CFL fans.

A two-year starter with the Eskimos, Ray guided the team to berth in the Grey Cup during 2002. That season, he was a finalist for the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

“The Eskimo players and coaches take pride in helping Ricky fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL,” Eskimos president and CEO Hugh Campbell said in a statement released by the Associated Press. “Ricky Ray is a tremendous young man with a bright future and we wish him great success.”

In New York, Ray will likely compete for the No. 2 job with Brooks Bollinger behind starter Chad Pennington. Veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde also remains under contract with the Jets, but has told the team he will not participate in offseason practices while pondering retirement.

Ray was a two-year starter at Sacramento State from 1999-2000. During his time with the Hornets, the team was 13-9 overall. He currently holds the school record with a 61.9 career completion percentage and ranks third in passing touchdowns (33), and fourth in career passing yards (4,622) and completions (347).

This will mark Ray’s second tenure in the NFL. He competed in the San Francisco 49ers’ training camp in 2001 but was released prior to the start of the season. Ray was resigned for one game with the team during the regular season. He also played with the Fresno Frenzy of Arena Football 2 for one season before signing with the CFL.

---30---