Before Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris left the field at B.C. Place on Saturday afternoon, he turned, paused, and took a long look at his surroundings.
The Riders had just lost to the B.C. Lions in the Western Semi-Final, and the 14-year veteran of the CFL wars just wanted a moment to take it all in.
Not for one last time, per se, but one last chance in the 2026 season to look around and have all the memories in the world come flooding back.
“I was the boy in the stands growing up watching the guys, and now I get to do that,” an emotional Harris said during the final press conference on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium. “That's why I call my mom every game. Her and my dad did so much for me in terms of taking me to the games and getting to watch them. And I just wanted to take it in just in case. When I got in the locker room, I didn't want to take my pads off either.
“The reason I'm emotional is because I care so much. I put so much into this. It's not because I'm being a baby. There’s just gratitude for getting to do this for as long as I have. And I’m just thankful to be a part of an amazing organization, amazing league in this beautiful country.”
Harris wore his heart on his sleeve throughout the 20-minute chat with the media, and while those quotes might sound suspiciously like the 40-year-old pivot is thinking about calling it a career, that decision is still a long way off.
Asked how things felt compared to last year when he said he’d be shocked if he didn’t come back for another season, Harris was quick to demur.
“I don't know that I feel any differently physically and in a lot of ways, physically, I feel better than last year,” Harris said. “There are things about my game that I've self-reflected on just even from last night like, ‘How can I be better?’ But at the same time, I don't know.
“There's a lot of thoughts that go through your mind, but it's a very emotional decision to make right now. You don't want to make an emotional decision because emotional decisions can often steer you in the wrong direction. You always take a step back and just make a decision from there.”
The situation on Sunday was far different from the one just under a year ago, when Harris and the Riders wrapped up their campaign surrounded by confetti and hoisting the Grey Cup.
The early finish to the season didn’t sit well with Harris, who had full confidence that a repeat was in the cards once they got rolling in the postseason.
“Every game I go into, I think we're going to win and we didn't yesterday, so it stings,” Harris said. “And I was fine. I didn't have any tears or anything like that last night, but then I got in my car this morning to drive in today and I just lost it, man. It's been a tough morning for me emotionally.
“I love this place. And I wanted to deliver a championship, and we didn't. I'll take a step back, as I do every year. … I'm self-assessing everything, I want to make sure that I have that energy and I'm not going to let my teammates down. I'm not going to put any ounce of less effort into this. I want to make sure that I'm not letting my family down, the coaches, the province of Saskatchewan. I guess we'll see what happens.”
Asked about the game itself and how things turned out after such a solid start, Harris flashed about as much anger as you’ll see from him in public. He was annoyed given how it looked like the Riders were about to put together a lopsided upset early in the contest.
“I'm pissed off, to be honest,” he said. “Just so many little things, right? It was a microcosm of the season. Lots of scoring drives, not enough touchdowns. We're going to push the ball down the field more. We got to do X, Y, or Z more. And those are things that if I do end up coming back, those are going to be rectified. I know the staff will do a tremendous job of plugging the gaps and filling the holes that are needed to get the job done regardless of who's under centre.”
To that point, even with the tough loss, Harris is completely confident in the coaching staff and the team going forward.
“It’s led by (coach) Corey Mace and bright days are always ahead when you got that man at the helm,” Harris said. “(General manager) Jeremy O'Day does a tremendous job. (Assistant GM) Kyle Carson, (assistant director of player personnel) Larry Dean, they do a tremendous job of bringing in not only good players, but good people. They do their homework and research. When you see the Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Player X, that's a good person, and I don't know that you can say that about pro sports all the time.
"You can rest your head on your pillow every night knowing the leadership here is solid. Tremendous, tremendous leadership.”
Harris had plenty more to say is his final chat with the media this season, and you can check it all out in the videos below.
