Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive back Tevaughn Campbell had a lot to think about after winning his first Grey Cup.
"It took a while. I knew I wanted to think about it after the Grey Cup, Corey [Mace] knew that, J.O. knew that, so they gave me time to go home, relax, sit back, and drown in my thoughts," Campbell said on The SportsCage. "Retirement was the main thought, I'd say."
During the game against Montreal in the 112th Grey Cup, Campbell recorced with three defensive tackles and one interception. He also forced Shea Patterson to fumble in the fourth quarter at the goal line.
"It had a lot to do with the stakes. The stakes were high. They weren't really like this is do-or-die right now. For us, our backs are against the wall. This could be the last play I got to go all out and give it my all. I didn't expect to dislodge the ball," Campbell reflected on his critical forced fumble.
"I didn't expect any of that to happen. I saw him coming, I said, 'I got to set the edge and set it as hard as I can so my linebackers could float over the top and make the tackle.' It worked in our favour."
Campbell's kids were a factor in his decision to come back to the Green and White as he signed a one-year contract extension for the 2026 CFL season on Monday, January 12.
"I know my son loves it, coming out to the games, and he comes to Montreal, Ottawa whenever we play them. He was born in Regina, so he's a die-hard Riders fan at heart — he doesn't know it yet," Campbell joked.
"I do think they do love the time they spend with their dad, they would cherish that more as well, and that's what went into the thought process."
In 2025, Campbell played 13 regular games for Saskatchewan, registered 18 defensive tackles, six interceptions, one returned for a touchdown in Week 4 against the B.C. Lions, and one special team tackle. Looking back on last year, the University of Regina product recalled when he first considered retiring.
"I think a lot of it has to do with football being in the season. You're going through all these games, your body's getting beat up, you're sore. Last season, I broke my jaw in the middle of the season, that's why I missed four weeks," Campbell explained.
"Those moments, you're thinking like, 'Damn, I broke my jaw, I'm 32, why am I doing this to myself?' Then I had a month to sit down and do nothing, my body started healing, I'm like, 'I got a lot more energy in me.'"
As for his teammates, Campbell shares how they reacted when he even thought about retiring.
"I talked to everyone from guys on the D-line, from guys on the secondary, guys on the offence. I know Trevor [Harris] knew, I know Yoshi knew, I know Scoop knew, Malik Carney," Campbell said.
"I know all my DBs pretty much knew, every single one of them would come to me and tell me, 'No, don't do it. You can't retire after this season.' I'm like, man, I can, but so I'm like, 'Alright, maybe they see something in me that I don't see in myself.'"
The six-foot, 190-pound Campbell has a new defensive coordinator in Joshua Bell for the 2026 CFL season, he was recently promoted after primarily coaching the defensive backs last year.
"I always knew Josh was going to be a coach, from when Josh and I played together. He controlled the DB meetings, you could tell when he talks, he's a passionate coach. He's passionate about football, but he's more passionate about the guys he's surrounded himself with," Campbell explained.
"I think that differentiates a lot of coaches from him. I know what he's capable of, he's a good secondary coach, and he's a good defensive coach. He knows the defence inside and out."
Campbell played one CFL season with Bell in 2015, his rookie year with the Calgary Stampeders. Later, the Scarborough, Toronto native played for Saskatchewan (2016-2017) and Montreal (2017-2018), then embarked on an NFL journey from 2019 through 2024. After his NFL career, he returned to the Green and White in 2025.
The other new coach the Riders have on defence is Micah Johnson after he retired following the 2025 season and will now coach the defensive line.
"I didn't even know Micah was retiring, so this is news to me. Micah is older, so I knew it was coming one day, but he's a guy that has a lot of bite and a lot of dog in him. I didn't think it would come to this, but I guess every dog has his day, and he decided to hang it up," Campbell said.
"I know he's going to be a good coach regardless because even last year, when we were playing during the season, he was in practice coaching up the guys, coaching up the younger guys."
