Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson has indicated that punter Jon Ryan is likely out for the rest of the year due to an ankle injury.
The Regina native was ruled out of Saturday’s game with rookie Kaare Vedvik taking his place on the roster. Ryan was moved to the six-game injured list on Friday when the team declared its roster against the Montreal Alouettes.
Dickenson indicated that the injury was worse than the team originally anticipated as he will be out for a minimum of six weeks. He classified it as a bad ankle sprain, though he may have also cracked a bone.
The 39-year-old punted 107 times for 5,222 gross yards — a 48.8-yard average — with a long of 77 yards while playing all 18 regular season games for Saskatchewan in 2019. He was named a West Division all-star for his efforts during the first season with his hometown team.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers originally selected Ryan in the third round, 24th overall during the 2004 CFL Draft. Ryan handled the punting duties for two seasons, leading the league with a 50.6-yard average in 2005. NFL teams took notice of Ryan’s strong leg and Green Bay signed him to a contract.
Ryan spent two seasons with the Packers. After that, Ryan moved on to Seattle for 10 seasons, including a Super Bowl championship in 2014 — becoming the first person from Saskatchewan to win an NFL title. He punted 914 times in the NFL for 40,895 yards and a 44.7-yard average with 311 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Ryan earned over $14 million while playing south of the border. His contract for 2021 included a $6,500 signing bonus with $12,000 in housing, $3,000 in travel allowance to go alongside a $67,000 base salary for $88,500 in hard money.
Vedvik, who was born in Norway, was a second-round pick in the 2021 CFL Global Draft out of Marshall. He went unselected in the 2018 NFL Draft but has spent time with eight different NFL teams, most recently with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
