Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick would like to play three-down football until he is 40, and possibly longer.
Hardrick will turn 36 on May 30 and the 2026 CFL season begins. His former teammate, Stanley Bryant, appears ready to play left wing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next year at age 40.
“Usually he tells me something, gives me hints here and there. This usually starts around January.o I find out something about him. Come see me in January, I'll have something for you.” Hardrick told 3DownNation during Gray Cup week.
“I want to try to live to 40 if my wife and kids allow me. I want to play until they tell me not to come anymore. Once it's over, it's over. You can go to the YMCA and play basketball; I don't think I'll be able to block anyone at the YMCA after this, so I will continue to play until they refuse me.”
The six-foot-four, 315-pound right tackle was in doubt about continuing his career after suffering a season-ending quad injury in 2024. That setback occurred against the BC Lions in Week 6, causing him to miss 13 regular-season games plus two playoff games. Hardrick didn't think about playing until he was 40 while rehabbing his injury.
“No, I don't. I was thinking about, “Can I get through the set again?” Because I couldn't even bend my leg and get range of motion. It was so heartwarming,” Hardrick said.
“Seeing Stanley do this, a person I look up to and he showed me the way. The recipe is not spoiled. I will continue to add my own flavor to it, but he showed me the recipe.”
Hardrick changed his training regimen during the offseason, focusing on flexibility and longevity. It focuses on bending and maintaining strength. For example, if he's doing barbell squats, it's not four sets of lower reps with a heavy weight, but three sets of 10 reps with a medium to light weight.
“In the offseason, I was like, 'Let's get as strong as I can.' Pwill probably appear in the camp sore. Now it's about making me feel less pain, but will I be able to bend? Can I go to the grass with a squat any time of day instead of hurts? Iit doesn't hurt all the time. Can I bend over whenever I want? But keep it,” Hardrick said.
“I do spinning. I did yoga, but I do a lot of spinning. I stretch a lot and chase my kids a lot. I have three children who play sports and are very active. My wife is very active; I train with my wife. My wife leaves school, comes home and knows that I am like a dog. like withone and [the kids] leave school, I'm ready to run, I'm ready to play, although I trained twice when they weren’t there.”
Wife Samantha, son Jermarcus Jr., and daughters Santana and Lyla help Hardrick stay in shape. His family had a say in the move to Saskatchewan after a seven-year run in Winnipeg in the pre-2024 offseason. It will happen again as the Batesville, Mississippi native views his decision as his Riders contract expires in February.
“I would like to continue to stay in Sasuke. I can't say anything bad about Sasuke. I love O'Day, I love Mace, I love the team, I love the field in Regina, I love going to Safeway or the co-op, and they talk about what happened in practice,” Hardrick said.
“The thing you dream about when you're a kid. What do you dream about when you're a kid, you play all these games you watch TV, imagine yourself there, and one day it happens.”
Head coach Corey Mays and general manager Jeremy O'Day had high praise for Hardrick. He earned $218,700 for the 2025 season. in Reederville, which retained its status highest paid American offensive lineman in the league with three losses for the second year in a row. However, his price increased after he won his first CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Player award in 2025.
“I didn't know how much it meant to me until I played with Stanley. I went to his awards ceremony four times and saw the league cover it. Stan is someone I looked up to and wanted to be like.o When Stan started winning them, I thought: “I want to be like that one day.” I want to win one,” Hardrick said.
“The's the hard work I put in, bbut there are guys in front of me who will show me how to become a professional. I didn't do this alone. Defender got the ball, I have good teammates, punfolding the chips back. This is an award for one person, but I promise it’s not like that.”
No player can win Gray cupbut if Saskatchewan wants to improve its chances of making a comeback in 2026, re-signing Hardrick will provide an upgrade for Yoshi.
