When Darrell Henderson Jr. started considering a move to the Canadian Football League, the Saskatchewan Roughriders already had a powerful recruiter in place. That recruiter happened to be reigning CFL Lineman of the Year, Jermarcus Hardrick.
The former Los Angeles Rams running back signed with the Roughriders after five NFL seasons and a Super Bowl championship. The opportunity to join Hardrick in Saskatchewan played a major role in his decision to come north.
“When you’ve got an opportunity to play with your family, it’s an opportunity that you’ve got to take,” Henderson said at rookie camp in Saskatoon. “The only thing he told me is when I get here, I’ve got to work. This is what they build their foundation off of.”
Hardrick’s message resonated with Henderson, who has spent the past year away from professional football after last playing in the NFL during the 2023 season. Rather than seeing the time off as a setback, it allowed him to recharge physically and mentally before taking on a new challenge in Canada.
“I took a little time off to be with my family and my kids,” Henderson said. “The NFL, you take a bunch of hits, and I felt like I needed that time off. The only thing it did was rejuvenate me and motivate me more to get back into it.”
The 28-year-old also credited another family connection in Saskatchewan for helping sell him on the CFL experience. Hardrick, his cousin, told Henderson he could thrive in the Canadian game.
“He told me if I come up here and play, there’s no doubt I’ll be back where I’m supposed to be,” Henderson said. “He said I’ll kill this league if I do what I’m supposed to do.”
That confidence helped convince Henderson to take a chance on the CFL after a successful football career south of the border. Selected in the third round, 70th overall by the Rams in the 2019 NFL Draft, Henderson appeared in 54 games with Los Angeles over five seasons, rushing for 1,854 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 577 receiving yards and four more scores. He also played in Super Bowl LVI as the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite those accomplishments, Henderson still feels motivated to prove himself.
“I’ve always been doubted,” Henderson said. “I knew I had more in the tank, and I decided, let me give Canadian football a try and show everybody that I still got it.”
So far, Henderson believes the adjustment to the CFL has gone smoothly.
“It feels pretty good,” he said. “It’s different from American football for sure, but I think I’ve got acclimated with it already.”
The former University of Memphis star admitted there are still adjustments to make with the larger field, extra player, and pre-snap motion, but he believes his game will translate naturally.
“At the end of the day, they still got to make a tackle, and you still got to make a play,” Henderson said.
For now, Henderson is focused on following the advice Hardrick gave him before arriving in Saskatchewan: work hard and let the rest take care of itself.
“I’m feeling confident,” Henderson said. “I’m knocking off a little rust, but I know it’s only going to get better each and every day.”
