3DownNation insider Justin Dunk detailed the reasoning behind Samuel Emilus signing his two-year contract extension with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and why he stayed with the Green and White.
"It shows that he loves it there and really didn't want to leave," Dunk said on the SportsCage."That's why he took, I'll call it a hometown discount because it's the only CFL team that he's ever played for."
During the 2025 regular season, the six-foot, 200-pound receiver played seven games for the Riders, he registered 37 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns. Saskatchewan made it to the 112th Grey Cup where the team defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17. Not only did Emilus win his first CFL championship, he also earned the game's Most Valuable Canadian award.
According to Dunk, his new contract makes Emilus the highest-paid Canadian receiver for the 2026 CFL season.
"He leapfrogged Tyson Philpott with the Montreal Alouettes, who signed an extension earlier in the offseason at $275,000 in hard money for the 2026 CFL season. Samuel Emilus comes in at $285,000 in hard money for 2026," Dunk explained.
"I saw some reaction on social media on both sides. To be quite honest with you, even though it's a big pay raise for Samuel Emilus, he definitely deserves it. If he went to the open market, he could have snapped his fingers and easily gotten well over $300,000. So for the Riders fans who are going, well, that's a lot of money. It's like, no, no, no. Samuel Emilus took less to run it back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders."
Hard money term, as reported by 3DownNation's J.C. Abbott, is a CFL term that refers to any portion of a contract that is paid even if a player is injured. This includes base salary, signing bonuses, roster bonuses, housing allowances, travel allowances, and training allowances.
Meanwhile, Dunk shared his opinion on who the Riders should focus on re-signing next.
"I would argue that the next most important on the list after Samuel Emilus is A.J. Allen because he's Canadian," Dunk said. "There are going to be teams that would love to see him get even to the negotiation window, but I don't think the Riders want that to happen. I would imagine that A.J. Allen, being a Rider throughout his CFL career so far, would like to stay there, but the dollars and cents have to line up."
The 27-year-old Allen played all 18 regular season games for the Riders in 2025 as he registered 87 defensive tackles, four special team tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
Dunk believes Saskatchewan has a decision to make with regard to which backup quarterback to re-sign.
"You have Jack Coan and Jake Maier, who are both pending free agents. Dave and Teagan, you both well know how high the Riders have been on Jack Coan for a couple of years now," Dunk pointed out.
"Jake Maier looked pretty good last year in Marc Mueller's offence, he's comfortable. There's a decision to be made there for the Roughriders, and that decision could have a ripple effect throughout the league."
