REGINA - The newly arrived quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders sounded delighted to be part of Rider Nation as he met the media at Mosaic Stadium.
“This is a dream come true,” said Trevor Harris, who was introduced Wednesday in the media room by Roughriders Head Coach Craig Dickenson and General Manager Jeremy O’Day.
On Feb. 14, Harris was signed by the Roughriders to a two year contract on what was the first day of CFL free agency. He has been in the league for ten years with Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and last season with Montreal, but admitted he always had a soft spot for Saskatchewan.
“Just to be fully transparent, I told my wife in 2015 when I was playing for Toronto, I said I’d love to be quarterback of the ‘Riders someday,” said Harris.
Harris said he “couldn’t be more elated to be here, and I’ll never take for granted being able to be the quarterback of this franchise. So I look forward to the challenge and the work ahead.”
As for his decision to join the Riders, Harris said Wednesday that he made the decision early on in the free agency window.
“After talking to a couple of situations and laying things out, and praying with my wife, it was an easy situation. We made the call on Sunday night,” said Harris.
He came to the decision to join the Riders after talking to General Manager O’Day on the first day of the negotiation window, and then after talking to Coach Dickenson. He said his values aligned with theirs, and also elaborated further about his reasons for wanting to play Saskatchewan, based on his times playing in Regina as an opposing quarterback. He particularly noted the passion of the fans.
"You feel how important football is here, and as an athlete, you want to be part of a situation where football is important.” Harris added he was a “small town guy” and thought it would fit with a blue-collar type of work mentality.
“I just feel it was a great fit for me, but that was a surface level thing. But as I get closer and closer to it I realize it was a better fit than I thought.”
The Roughriders are getting a CFL veteran with the signing of Harris.
“Trevor brings 10 years of experience to our league. He’s a proven winner, he’s a leader of men,” said O’Day.
Harris will replace former Roughriders QB starter Cody Fajardo, who had been the starter since 2019 but who had fallen out of favour during a tough 2022 season in Saskatchewan, being benched later in the season. Fajardo signed a two year deal with the Alouettes on Tuesday.
Harris's departure from Montreal came amid ownership turmoil at the top, with the league announcing it was taking over running the team this week.
Harris said he was not expecting to leave Montreal, but “I learned one thing in pro sports — you never assume anything.”
“I promised myself I would listen to other teams and see what was going on, see what else is out there, see what opportunities presented itself.”
Harris is not coming to Riderville alone. His teammate, Alouettes wide receiver Jake Wieneke, also signed with the Riders on Tuesday.
“It’s amazing. Jake talked about this early on in the process too, saying ‘I would just love to go to Sask,’” said Harris.
He called Wieneke “one of the best route runners I’ve been around, one of the smartest receivers I’ve ever been around.”
Harris expressed confidence that the Riders could turn it around quickly following last year's six-win season. “This is not a three year project. This is something that we want to come in and hit the ground running and win now.”
As for what fans can expect on the field in terms of wins:
“I have never been in the business for promising wins. I can promise you you’re going to get a team that’s united, that loves one another, that’s giving all-out effort, and we’re going to have a culture of loving one another in good brotherhood and making sure that we’re giving everything that we do. The goal is to make that this organization, this province, this fan base is proud of this team on opening day, on Labour Day, the Banjo Bowl and most importantly, that third Sunday in November.”
O’Day speaks on free agency
A number of names had been tossed about as a potential Roughriders quarterback during the free agency process.
“You always have a plan, but until you get into free agency, you don’t know how exactly that plan is going to shake out,” said O’Day, who said “it is an exciting time.”
When asked why Harris turned out to be the right fit at quarterback, O’Day said “you’re looking for a good football player, you’re also looking for a good person, someone who is high in character, someone who had success in our League.”
As for what Harris needs to be successful in Saskatchewan “he just needs to come in and be himself, and not put too much pressure on himself.”
General Manager O’Day also updated reporters during his 9 a.m. media availability on the status of free agency a day after it opened.
With respect to linebacker Darnell Sankey, O’Day said “I don’t think there’s going to be an opportunity for Darnell.” They were unable to reach an agreement, and it was later reported Sankey was headed to the XFL’s Arlington Renegades.
On receiver Shawn Bane Jr., signed from the Calgary Stampeders, O’Day saw him as a starter right away. “We think, given the opportunity, he will be a very good player. He’s an explosive player.”
On the return of defensive tackle Micah Johnson after a year in Hamilton, O’Day said “this one was kind of a late development.”
“We didn’t think we would have an opportunity to get Micah; we thought his salary wouldn’t be in the range for us. I think just the way the market shifted and how it changed, we kept the conversations alive with his agent. Then eventually we realized we could make a fair offer for him.”
On the future of veteran Dan Clark with the signing of Peter Godber as the likely Roughriders centre, it looks like he might not be back.
“I’d never say there’s never a chance, but I would say going into camp, I think it’s highly unlikely,” said O’Day about whether Clark would be re-signed there.
O’Day told reporters they “were very open with Dan that we were going to pursue other offensive linemen in there.”
When asked how hard it was to move on from Clark and whether it was the toughest part of the business, O'Day said "without a doubt."
"The guy is a Roughrider through and through, he emulates everything you want from a football player. The play on the field, the toughness aspect. The leadership ability in the locker room, and also in the community. Dan's a Regina guy and has been in the community for a long time. Those are really tough decisions when you're having those conversations. But ultimately, when you have a season like we do, there's going to be change."
