The Saskatchewan Roughriders are back in the West Division penthouse under quarterback Trevor Harris, although his future remains unclear as he and the team have yet to agree on a contract extension through 2026 or beyond.
“We haven't had any discussions,” general manager and vice president of football operations Jeremy O'Day said. 3DownNation. “We'll have those discussions after the season. Nothing just came up between us and him, and we'll address that after the season.”
The 39-year-old passer has thrown for 9,087 yards, 50 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in three seasons in Saskatchewan, although his production has trended upward over that period. Harris played only five regular season games in 2023 due to a tibial plateau fracture and 12 regular season games in 2024 due to a partial torn ACL.
Harris missed just one regular-season game this year, going 11-5 in 16 starts. He suited up for the team's Week 20 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, although he did not take the field as the team was already in first place in the West Division.
O'Day doesn't know how long Harris would like to play as he and his team are currently focused on trying to win a 112th Gray Cup against the Montreal Alouettes at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
“To be honest, we haven't discussed how he's feeling or how long he wants to play or anything like that,” O'Day said. “I think he'd rather just focus on this game.”
Harris was the fifth-highest paid quarterback in the CFL in 2025, earning about $450,000, including playing time bonuses. It could be argued that he deserves promotion based on his performance this season, although the biggest game of the year is still to come.
Another position that will be a focus for the Roughriders this offseason is wide receiver, with the likes of Samuel Amilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Keason Johnson and Donte Meyers set to hit free agency. O'Day admitted it would be difficult to retain everyone, although the club wants to retain as many as possible.
“TIt's going to be tough with the number of guys that have had success in the receiving corps,” O'Day said. “It's a good problem to have, but it becomes difficult when there are so many good players at the position and they all become free agents at the same time.” We will work through this as we do every year. We'd like to have them all back. They are all great players and we will work on it when we need to.”
O'Day received significant criticism from fans following the 2023 season as the Roughriders went 6-12 in back-to-back years and missed the playoffs both times. Instead of replacing him, Saskatchewan allowed him to hire a new head coach and extended his contract, a decision that apparently satisfied all parties.
While he remains focused on the Gray Cup this week, O'Day is glad he has been entrusted with turning things around in Readerville.
“It's a work in progress, so I think maybe I'll think about it after the game,” he said. “I’m certainly grateful to the organization for believing in me and giving you the opportunity to get back on track and giving us the opportunity to do that.”
When asked about what led to this dramatic turnaround in Readerville, O'Day mentioned a lot of people – head coach Corey Mays, assistant general manager Kyle Carson, offensive coordinator Mark Mueller – but the first name out of his mouth was Trevor Harris.
“I think signing Trevor Harris is a big part of it,” O'Day said. “Someone who has played for so long has been successful for so long.”
This is the first time the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been in the Gray Cup since 2013 that they won a home CFL championship game. O'Day, who has been with the organization since joining their offensive line in 1999, would love nothing more than to bring another title back to Rider Nation.
“(Winning the Gray Cup) would be huge,” he said. “I think it will be what they deserve: we have fans who are very loyal to us and support us. This is a chance for us to give back to them what they gave us.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (13-6) and Montreal Alouettes (12-8) will meet in the 112th Gray Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday, November 16, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 pm EST.
The Alouettes defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern final by a score of 19-16.Bye The Roughriders came back to defeat the BC Lions in the Western final, 24-21.. The teams split their two regular-season meetings, although Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander missed both games with a hamstring injury.
The weather forecast for Winnipeg calls for a high of two degrees, sun and clouds. The game will be broadcast on TSN, CTV and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the US and CFL+ worldwide.
This is the fifth time the Gray Cup will be held in Winnipeg and the second time it will be held at Princess Auto Stadium. The stadium's first Gray Cup was held in 2015, when the Edmonton football team defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 and Michael Reilly was named the game's MVP.
