Durant was forced out of the 2015 season due to injury when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Riders' first week game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After rehabbing his Achilles tendon all off-season Durant returned as the Roughriders leading quarterback for the 2016 season. Early in the second quarter of the fourth week Durant left the game after BC defensive linemen Mic'hael Brooks fell into his leg on a passing play. He was taken into the Riders locker room and later appeared on the sidelines using crutches. Following the game the X-Rays revealed no structural damage, and Durant was considered day-to-day with an ankle sprain. Durant ending up only missing two weeks returning as the starting quarterback in Week 7. Durant was also rested for the final game of the season as the team was eliminated from playoff competition and wanted to see their other quarterbacks on roster (Brandon Bridge, Mitchell Gale, and G.J. Kinne) get some playing time. Following the conclusion of the regular season Durant expressed his disappointment that contract negotiations with the Roughriders had stalled. If no deal had been reached, Durant would have been a free-agent when the free agency period commenced on 14 February 2017. On January 5, 2017 the Riders made a new offer to Durant. The offer reportedly included a base salary of around $300,000, with performance incentives set to reach $400,000 in 2017.