Jalen Philpot: Calgary Stampeders ‘wanted to play’ Saskatchewan Roughriders in 112th Grey Cup playoffs

Photo courtesy: Calgary Stampeders.

The Calgary Stampeders wanted to play the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 112th Grey Cup playoffs.

That makes sense from a Stamps perspective because the team from Cowtown beat the Riders twice in decisive fashion during the 2025 regular-season — 24-10 at Mosaic Stadium in Week 6 and 32-15 at McMahon Stadium in Week 12. Calgary outscored Saskatchewan 56-25 in two head-to-head meetings last year.

“It was one of those things where we said that if we want respect, we got to go out and get it — no one’s going to give it to us. We could beat Saskatchewan, we’re still going to be ranked below Saskatchewan,” Jalen Philpot told 3DownNation.

“We know who we wanted to play and we knew who we weren’t afraid of, so we build on that this year. We use the motivation again of us getting ranked close to the bottom, it’s fuel for us and match that with a home Grey Cup, that could be scary.”

The Stampeders lost in the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions last November, which meant Calgary did not get the chance to play the Roughriders in the West Final. It seems as though Philpot, who recorded nine receptions for 137 yards with one touchdown in two games against Saskatchewan last season, believes the Stamps would have been in the CFL championship game if the white horses beat the Lions.

2026 presents a new opportunity for Calgary to back up the team’s confidence and dethrone the defending Grey Cup champion Riders. The Stampeders host Saskatchewan in Week 3 and travel to Regina in Week 18. If you count the preseason and Week 21 in 2024, Philpot’s side has won four-straight games against the Roughriders, but he knows his team has to go out and earn what the Stamps want to accomplish.

“It’s something that we started off in camp last year and it was the energy and the vibe of: we have to do everything for ourselves,” the 25-year-old said. “In the media, they’re not really going to be talking about us as much, the poll rankings we’re close to the bottom, which is a normal start for us in their eyes.”

Entering a contract year, Philpot aims to have a productive campaign and give himself leverage to join his brother Tyson and Samuel Emilus as the highest-paid Canadian receivers in the CFL. His twin signed a two-year contract extension in December worth $275,000 in hard money for 2026, while Emilus bested him by $10,000 later that same month.

“When your contract’s coming up at the end of the year, it’s something that you got to think about. You got to compare yourself when you’re hearing contract talks, whether it’s your team or other teams. It’s something that’s so cool for the league to see two Canadian guys like that, who have been consistent the last couple years, have raised the bar for receiver play in the CFL,” Philpot said.

“Us as Canadian players, we don’t consider ourselves Canadians. We play in the CFL, this is our league, so it’s super cool to see those guys dominate at the highest level and help us other Canadians get a little extra money in our pocket is always nice.”

Philpot registered a single-season career-best 830 receiving yards last year. He’ll surely be looking to perform even better in 2026.

The Stampeders (0-0) host Winnipeg (0-0) at McMahon Stadium on Friday, June 5 with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 20 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 770 CHQR in Calgary.