Veteran quarterback Trevor Harris had a short conversation with himself and quickly made his decision to continue playing professional football. His wife, Kalie, reinforced that by telling him the end of the 2024 season was the best she’s seen him play.
Alignment from his family allowed a smooth transition into the negotiation process, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders signing the 38-year-old to a one-year contract extension for the 2025 season. Harris believes continuity at key leadership positions within the franchise will be crucial for accomplishing his No. 1 team goal.
“Win the Grey Cup. I’ll keep it short and concise,” Harris said.
The six-foot-three, 212-pound QB believes his compensation within the salary cap can allow the Riders to take a run at a CFL championship. Harris has earned $991,000 total through two years in Riderville. His new deal checks in lower than $500,000, although exact details are yet to be confirmed.
“Where do you slot me as a quarterback in this league? If you slot me in the top tier, it’s a team-friendly deal. It’s a correct deal for both sides,” Harris said.
“It allows us to build the proper team but also compensates myself as a starting quarterback and somebody that has played a long time in this league. I thought it was a fair deal. Depending on where you’d slot me in your quarterback rankings, that would probably be in the eye of the beholder.”
No. 7 produced a 7-4 win-loss record when healthy during the 2024 regular season. He completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,264 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 starts while missing six games with a left knee MCL injury. He led the CFL in passer efficiency rating at 108.4 while being named a West Division all-star last season.
“I feel like I’m playing some of the best football of my career. I think some of the best football that I’m going to play is right in front of me. I know I have prime years left,” Harris said.
“If you read into everybody’s deal, they’re all one-year deals. If you underperform your contract, the team is going to cut you. If you overperform, you ain’t going to get more money. It’s really tough for players to do long-term deals.”
His top personal goal: play all 18 regular season games. He wants to provide consistency at the game’s most important position by staying healthy. The Waldo, Ohio native started five games in 2023 then suffered a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee. In 2024, the 12-year vet made 11 starts due to a left MCL knee injury. Despite the setback this past season, Harris came back and played his best football to finish.
That gave general manager Jeremy O’Day the confidence to not even call the B.C. Lions to inquire about a potential trade for Vernon Adams Jr., who went to the Calgary Stampeders, or look into any other quarterbacks around the CFL. O’Day’s unwavering commitment to Harris told him more than words could about how the organization viewed him.
“The big relief to me was this team didn’t have to think very long about who they wanted to be their guy. That meant a lot to me personally, knowing they knew they didn’t need to fish around and see what else is out there — they knew they wanted me to be their guy,” Harris said.
“It’s the right decision. To be the quarterback for this franchise is something I will never, ever, ever take for granted. I don’t think that it’s one of those things where let’s just spin the record one more time, see how it goes with Trev. If they needed me for multiple years or I feel like I’ve got multiple years, there’s that.”
Harris plans to keep the same promise to himself as he did this past year: focus on the present and not think about the future until it’s in front of him. For all intents and purposes, nothing else exists in his mind beyond the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg on November 16, 2025.
“We can have higher expectations for a regular season. Going undefeated at home is something that is important for us to provide the fan base what they deserve,” Harris said. “I know they’re going to be packing the stands making it difficult for teams. Getting that home playoff game in the West Final as opposed to the West Semi-Final is going to be a big thing in our minds.”
