Tuesday was Valentine’s Day and there was plenty of newfound romance in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as free agency opened up with teams and players trying to find the right match.
There were some flirtations in the past but this week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were able to land Quarterback Trevor Harris on a two-year deal.
On Wednesday, Harris was introduced to Rider Nation.
After stops in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal, Saskatchewan will be the fifth team that the quarterback will play for in the CFL. Harris said suiting up for the Roughriders was something he always had in the back of his mind.
“I told my wife in 2015 while I was playing for Toronto, I said I loved to be a quarterback for the Riders someday. So this is a dream that came true.”
He noted that he almost signed with Saskatchewan before the 2019 season.
With the new season only a couple of months away, the pressure will begin to mount for the Roughriders to improve quickly from a disappointing 2022. Harris is ready to embrace the challenge of playing in Rider Nation.
“When you come into the league, you invite the high expectations, the pressure, and those sorts of things, so I couldn’t be more elated to be here. ”
Building relationships is something that the Roughriders new quarterback takes very seriously. He said he immediately began contacting his teammates to develop some chemistry when he found he was joining the organization.
“Making sure that you have alignment from the President down and I feel like we do have that.”
Harris was not the only former Alouette to sign with the Riders on Tuesday, as Jake Wieneke agreed to terms with the team.
The quarterback says the former South Dakota Jackrabbit is excited to be heading to Saskatchewan.
“Jake has been a guy who’s talked about this early on in the process too, he was like, I would just love to go to Sask.”
Harris believes that Wieneke has the potential to emerge as a number-one receiving target for the Riders and says the receiver reminds him of former Stampeder and REDBLACK Brad Sinopoli.
The 11-year veteran of the CFL didn’t promise any victories on Wednesday but said the team will support each other inside the locker room.
“I can promise you that they’re going to get a team that’s united, that loves one another, that’s giving an all-out effort and we’re going to have a culture of loving one another, a good brotherhood, making sure we’re giving everything that we do. ”
It wasn’t a trade on Tuesday, but the Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes will be swapping quarterbacks this season as former Roughrider QB Cody Fajardo signed a two-year deal with Montreal. Harris said he has a lot of respect for Fajardo and wishes him luck in Montreal.
“Couldn’t be happier for him that he gets to go to Montreal. It’s a great organization, the people from Danny Maciocia down, those guys are amazing.”
Unlike Fajardo, Harris will have the chance to visit his old team this season. In their only matchup in 2023, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will visit the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, August 11.
The honeymoon phase has now begun between the Roughriders and their new quarterback. Will it lead to a lengthy relationship? The win/loss column will decide that soon enough.
