Veteran running back Ka’Deem Carey makes his return to Toronto with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday only three weeks after he was released by the team at the end of training camp.
“I think [the Argonauts] already see that they’re in the wrong. It’s a lot of motivation going there. I’m with the right team, they’re going to go out there, coach is gonna put me in the right position to make plays and everybody else is going to have fun,” Carey said.
“I got the advantage. I know that squad inside and out. I know what they bring from the heart, from their brains, what they’re going to do out there. It’s going to be a good little showdown. They don’t really know me out there. Anything I could do, I can do and they can’t stop it.”
Toronto officially released Carey on Sunday, June 1 opting to keep Deonta McMahon and rookie Miyan Williams. Carey rushed for 1,060 yards, caught 37 passes for 356 yards and scored eight touchdowns with the Argos in 2024, his first year with the team while helping the Boatmen win a Grey Cup. The 32-year-old will receive his CFL championship ring on his trip to The Six.
“The meaning changed, it definitely changed dramatic. It’s going to be something that I put in my box of glory and it’s on to the next. This season and this ring is going to be something way more special,” Carey said.
The Double Blue are off to an 0-2 start and have the league’s seventh-ranked rushing attack. McMahon has run for 14 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards over two outings but he’s been ruled out for Week 3 due to an ankle injury. Williams, out of Ohio State, has rushed for 65 yards and caught 10 passes for 67 yards.
Carey made his Saskatchewan debut in Week 2 in a backup role behind A.J. Ouellette. The Tucson, Ariz. native ran for 26 yards and caught one pass for nine yards, helping the Riders beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28-23. It’s clear he doesn’t mind sharing the backfield, particularly with Ouellette coming off one of his best games with the Roughriders as he ripped off a career-long 47-yard touchdown run.
“When you’ve got two all-star backs, anything can happen. When [Ouellette] went for that 50-yarder, all that did was excite me to go out there and make a special play myself,” Carey said.
“I’m with the right squad right now and excited to show what we can do out there. We haven’t put a full game together, so I think this’ll be a great team to go out there and put a full 60 minutes together.”
The Riders (2-0) visit the Toronto Argonauts (0-2) at BMO Field on Friday, June 20 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Carey’s excited to play on the “green grass” with a team he calls “one of a kind.”
