TSN and SportsCage CFL analyst Glen Suitor was not surprised when the Saskatchewan Roughriders re-signed quarterback Trevor Harris to a one-year extension for the 2026 season.
"When I saw the news that Trevor had signed, I thought, 'This is the ultimate teammate.' It really is,” Suitor said on the SportsCage. "It is the first team decision by Trevor Harris for the 2026 season. He has put the entire franchise and his teammates ahead of himself in this decision to do it this early. I'm not surprised that he did it, I think we could all see the tea leaves were leaning that way."
Harris dressed in 17 games for the Green and White, he completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 4,459 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The six-foot-three, 212-pound QB led the Riders to the 112th Grey Cup and he was named game MVP. He completed 23-of-27 passes for 302 yards in the CFL championship game.
With Harris under contract for 2026, the next question becomes who will be his main backup. Jake Maier and Jack Coan are pending free agents. Meanwhile, short yardage specialist Tommy Stevens has signed a two-year contract extension with Saskatchewan.
"You've got an experienced backup quarterback in Jake Maier right now, if you can get him back at the right number, that is a great insurance policy," Suitor explained. "Your third guy has got to be the one when Trevor Harris truly retires, that young guy's got to be ready to push Jake to a point of saying, 'You better be outstanding to win the starting job if Trevor leaves.'”
Additionally, Suitor speculated about which Riders players could re-sign after seeing Harris commit for another season.
"I would think it's A.J. Ouellette. They lived together through the season, they're best friends," Suitor said. "They goofed around after every win, they hang out together on the road."
Suitor recalled a story about Ouellette during the West Final regarding his future with Harris and the underlying meaning.
"Ouellette said, without being prompted, that he and Trevor had talked about getting it done now because who knows what happens in the future. Maybe that was sort of a brushstroke, we want to take care of business or maybe it was that they had discussed at length that, 'Hey, if you come back, I'll come back,'" Suitor explained. "If you don't, then maybe we move on. I think because of those things, A.J. Ouellette to me would be number one and receivers number two."
Besides Ouellette, Suitor talked about Riders’ pass catcher Samuel Emilus and the benefits of staying with your team instead of leaving in free agency after Harris re-signed.
“For receivers, my best example here is Kenny Lawler. He had the monster season in Winnipeg. He goes and then he goes back because he thought the grass was greener, the extra money looked good,” Suitor said.
“He signed on another team. He comes back the very next year because he goes, 'This is crazy. What I need is a top-tier quarterback, then the rest will happen for me and my teammates.'“
Suitor was referring to Lawler's second season in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2021, he made 64 receptions for 1,014 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. During free agency, Lawler left Winnipeg and went to Edmonton for the 2022 CFL season, the Elks paid him $300,000. After one season with Edmonton, Lawler returned to play with Winnipeg. He played two more seasons with the Bombers and then went to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season.
For Saskatchewan, Suitor believes having Harris back will help general manager Jeremy O’Day bring back more teammates.
“The timing for Trevor and this early for him is money for Jeremy O'Day. You can make all those phone calls now,” Suitor explained. “Hey, our guy's back. That’s how he calls every free agent he has now. If you haven't noticed because you're down in Ohio or wherever you are, our guy's back, so we're going to take another run at this.”
The CFL free agent communication window begins February 1, 2026 and runs through February 8. CFL free agency officially opens on Tuesday, February 10.
