Zach Collaros has a new contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and he won't have to worry about if he’s going to be the starter or not.

Riders general manager Jeremy O'Day put any speculation to rest quickly during a media conference at Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday.

"Zach is our number-one quarterback, he's going to come to camp as our number-one quarterback and we hope that he has a great year," said O’Day.

Collaros re-signed with the Riders on a one-year contract during the opening day of CFL free agency on Tuesday. 

He's coming back to Saskatchewan looking for redemption after a season with some highs and lows in 2018.

"You want to improve every single season," he said. "From a statistical, touchdown-to-interception ratio, I'm not going to get up here and defend myself on that… All that really matters though is wins, we were able to win a lot of games last year and we're going to do that again this year."

Last season, the 30-year-old quarterback appeared in 14 games of the Riders, throwing 2,999 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 

He also missed four games and the Western Semi-Final after suffering two concussions.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Collaros' health due to the multiple concussions, but he said that he didn't consider retirement in the offseason and is feeling good coming into this season.

"It's understandable that there would be some worry about that," said Collaros. "About a week after that final game, I was feeling pretty good again and haven't had any issues since, so I love this game, I'm a competitive person and I just want to get back out there and play."

Collaros added that Craig Dickenson being hired as the Riders' head coach was part of what drew him back to Saskatchewan, but also the desire to play for Rider Nation again.

"This is a place that I really enjoyed playing at last year, regardless of some of the outcome of things," he said. "I had a blast, we had a great season and I'm just really looking forward to getting back here."

O'Day stated he didn’t have any reservations about Collaros staying healthy.

"Any time a player has concussions, there's always a concern for you, but we feel good about his recovery and where he's at right now," said O’Day. 

That being said, the Riders will continue to work the free agent wire to find an experienced back-up for Collaros.

"We're in discussions with a couple of veteran quarterbacks, it is something that we understand and with any team, you're going to want to have a back-up that you feel you can win with, so those discussions are on-going," said O’Day. 

Johnson Finds New Home in Rider Nation

The Riders may have missed out on the top quarterbacks on the opening day of free agency, but they were able to lock up the top defensive player available.

Micah Johnson is a three-time CFL all-star at defensive end and he said he's excited to be a part of Rider Nation.

"I felt like Saskatchewan gave me a great opportunity, really felt like they wanted me here and they felt like I would be a valuable piece to them," said Johnson. "It's next level here, when you're playing for other teams and when you come out here to play, you feel the energy, you feel the difference from the fans, so that was intriguing for me as well."

Johnson has starred for the past six seasons with one of the Riders' divisional rival, the Calgary Stampeders. The 30-year-old said it wasn't easy to leave Calgary.

"I had my teammates, I'd made great relationships with the coaches in that community, I don't think it was an easy choice, but it's a business and a lot of the times, decisions aren't easy," he said.

"It's a different feeling [to be with the Riders], I'm just excited to bring what I can to this team, bring my energy, bring my style of play to the team and the city."

This is the second straight offseason that the Riders have recruited an all-star defensive lineman away from the Stampeders after Charleston Hughes came to Saskatchewan in 2018.

Johnson said he's talked to Hughes about the move, "When this opportunity presented itself on free agency day, that was definitely a factor, we're close, our families are close and our families communicate with each other outside of football," he said.

Johnson set a career-high with 14 sacks last season with Calgary.