Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Darian Durant can envision quarterback Trevor Harris returning to the Green and White for the 2026 CFL season after the Green and White won the 112th Grey Cup 25-17 over the Montreal Alouettes.
"I think Trevor has a chance to do something that has never been done in Riders history — back-to-back Grey Cups. The nucleus of this team is there, everything you could ask for in every single position. You have weapons across the board and this defence that forced four turnovers in the Grey Cup as well," Durant said on the SportsCage.
According to 3DownNation insider Justin Dunk, the Riders have around 40 pending free agents. That's a lot of work ahead for general manager Jeremy O'Day.
"I know it's going to be tough to get every single guy, but I'm sure J.O. and Corey [Mace] will get the nucleus back and make sure the defence stays intact. Why not run it back? I get that, [Trevor's] going on 40 and at that point in time, you get a little brittle and things start to slow down a little bit for you, but he seems to be playing at such a high level," Durant said.
"He's not a quarterback that relies on his legs or mobility to have success, so as long as he's still processing defences at a high level, getting rid of the ball and keeping himself out of harm's way, I see an opportunity for him to come back. They have a possibility of running it back, you don't get the same team back at the Grey Cups quite often. If the Riders can keep this nucleus together, I think they have an opportunity to do something that's never been done."
During the 2025 regular season, Harris started 16 games for the Green and White, completing 74 percent of his passes for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He was voted the team's Most Outstanding Player. The six-foot-three, 212-pound QB completed 23-of-27 passes for 302 yards in the CFL championship game, which earned him the 112th Grey Cup MVP award.
"For him to come out and do what he's been doing his entire career, I was going to say just this season, but for his entire career he has been efficient. Take what the defence presents, not force the ball, make sure that you give your guys a chance to run after the catch and pick your defence apart — he did a great job of that," Durant said about Harris' Grey Cup performance.
"I was a little bit worried on that first drive when [Kabion] Ento dropped that pick. It reminded me early on in the 2013 Grey Cup when I fumbled and [Kory] Sheets was there to pick it up. Sometimes you need lucky plays like that to happen as well. But other than that, which happened early in the first quarter, I think he played a pretty flawless game."
Harris set a record for completion percentage in a Grey Cup game, his 85 percent is the highest ever, beating the previous mark of 83 set by Zach Callaros in 2023.
Historically, this Grey Cup victory marks the first in Harris' career in which he won as a starter. The first time was in 2012 with the Toronto Argonauts when Ricky Ray was the starter. The second was in 2016, Harris was with the Ottawa Redblacks when Henry Burris was the starter.
"When you're as accurate as he is, he'll definitely go down as one of the more accurate guys in our league history. Once you get that Grey Cup as a starter, you can never take it away from him. That's what you play the game for, to win the ultimate prize, to be able to win the Grey Cup, as he backed up Henry Burris and Ricky Ray, who are two Hall of Fame guys. He has a couple of rings to show for it, but there's nothing that could ever compare to winning it as a starter and for the clock to tick to zero, that it's happened for you," Durant said.
"Like for me, it happened later on in our careers. So to go through all the trials and tribulations, teams throwing them to the side, not knowing what his next move is year after year for the most part, to seemingly find a home here in Saskatchewan and get it done — it definitely cements him as a legend."
