Trevor Harris appears ready to return for another season.
Best player of the 112th division Gray cup has so far been evasive about his future. But in Saskatchewan Roughriders End of year media availability. On Wednesday, fresh off his Gray Cup win just three days earlier, the quarterback sounded like he wasn't ready to retire.
“I would be shocked if I turned around and said, 'This is the end,'” Harris said.
The pending release agent doesn't expect his 2026 decision to take long.
“I’m not one to overthink things,” he said. “I think pretty quickly.”
Corey Mays wants to become the first head coach in franchise history to win back-to-back Gray Cups and says no one on the team or coaching staff has told him, but they don't plan to return in 2026.
“Everybody said otherwise, so I’ll definitely remind them of that,” Mays said with a laugh. “It's been pretty cool the last couple of days, but we know business is business. We just hope it continues to be a family business.”
Mays has made it clear he wants his starting quarterback, who will be 40 by the start of next season, to return in 2026.
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“I love Trevor and have been very open about it. I'm not going to soften my words now, but I love and respect any time he may need to make this decision for himself and his family.”
“I think everyone understands the sacrifice it takes to go that far as a football player to become a quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and everything that that entails is probably just another step.”
Canadian receiver Sam Emilus, who, like Harris, is awaiting free agent status this offseason, said he would support the quarterback in any decision.
“I'm going to support him because he's my friend first and my teammate second,” Emilus said. “I just support him in the decision he makes.”
The future of Harris' backup is also a little unclear. Jake Mayer joined the Roughriders last off-season after being a starter for the Calgary Stampeders earlier in his career. At 28, he said he would like to be the No. 1 defenseman again, but left the door open to returning as a backup for another shot at the title.
“Over the last few years, I've kind of learned that you need to surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you and will be there for you, supporting you every step of the way,” he said. “So, I think my priorities have definitely shifted towards that.”
“Obviously, you want to play, but at the end of the day, you want to be able to make sure the stars are aligned in a lot of ways: not just 'how can I get on the field,' but 'how can I be surrounded by people that I enjoy coming to work with every day so you stay in good spirits and continue to grow?'
“My goal is to try to find a middle ground on this issue.”
Running back AJ Ouellette, who missed significant playing time due to injury during his two years in Saskatchewan, said he's thinking about retiring and hasn't ruled it out this offseason.
But in a locker room full of players still celebrating a championship, offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick, who was on three Gray Cup-winning teams, says players are sometimes willing to go a little further to stay with the winner and expects that to happen in the offseason with the Roughriders.
“If it works for their family and for us, let's keep the group,” Hardrick said.
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