‘I just lost it’: Trevor Harris overwhelmed by emotions after Saskatchewan Roughriders’ season ends

Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions.

Trevor Harris sat stoically at the podium on Saturday night after the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ season came to an abrupt end in the West Semi-Final. His voice hardly wavered as he collected his thoughts on the team’s playoff demise and addressed his own uncertain future.

Less than 24 hours later, the initial shell-shock of the franchise’s untimely defeat was gone. Left behind was a mass of raw emotions, which the 40-year-old pivot could barely stop from spilling out at his year-end address.

“I was fine. I didn’t have any tears or anything like that last night, and I got in my car this morning to drive in today, and I was like, ‘Ooh.’ I just lost it, man,” Harris told the Regina media. “It’s been a tough morning for me emotionally. I love this place, and I wanted to deliver a championship, and we didn’t.”

“Disappointed. Every game I go into, I think we’re gonna win, and we didn’t yesterday. It stings.”

There were tears in the quarterback’s eyes once again as he began his opening comments, thanking the assembled reporters for their work throughout the season. He continued to get choked up throughout the 17-minute-long availability, baring his heart and soul for all of Rider Nation to see.

“The reason I’m emotional is because I care so much. I put so much into this. It’s not because I’m being a baby or I’m just sad. We put so much into this. I care a lot, and that’s what the emotions are,” Harris said. “Just gratitude for getting to do this for as long as I have, and just thankful to be part of an amazing organization, amazing league in this beautiful country.”

The defending Grey Cup champions saw their quest to repeat end in a 33-26 loss to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver. A season full of high expectations and early promise faded down the stretch, which was mirrored in the Riders’ playoff performance. After jumping in front 17-3 and holding a halftime lead, Saskatchewan was soundly outplayed in the second half.

It was not the result that Harris expected when he agreed to return this season, hoping to become the first Rider QB to deliver two championships. In some ways, he still can’t even believe it is real.

“I woke up several times last night. A couple of them thinking about the plays that I thought about, and then a couple of them going like, ‘That was just a dream we lost, right? There’s no way we lost,'” he recalled. “You’ll beat me over the head for saying this, but I think if we played B.C. again, we’d win. I honestly do. I think if we played them nine more times, I think we’d win all nine. But the fact of the matter is, they won yesterday. They beat us three times in a row.”

That inescapable truth has added another layer to the turmoil that Harris is feeling. Despite throwing for 309 yards and leading seven scoring drives, the Riders found the end zone just once against the Lions. That included going one-of-three in the red zone.

Missed opportunities like that don’t just make the Waldo, Ohio, native sad and disappointed; they make him angry.

“I’m pissed off, to be honest. Through some of the tears that came, I would stop being emotional and just start speaking harsh. I was just pissed, man. Just so many little things,” he admitted. “I think it was a microcosm of this season. Lots of scoring drives, not enough touchdowns. Some things that I think we need to do. We’ve got to push the ball down the field more. We’ve got to do X, Y, or Z more. Those are things that, if I do end up coming back, those are going to be rectified.”

Whether Harris will be around to be the solution is the most important question in Regina this offseason. The 14-year CFL veteran is taking his career year-by-year at this stage and is currently a pending free agent. While he is unafraid to show emotions, he has given no indication as to which way he is leaning when it comes to retirement and will make his decision in the coming weeks.

Even so, he spent a pensive moment in the tunnel at BC Place, staring out at what could be the final field he ever plays on.

“I was the boy in the stands growing up, watching the guys, and I get to do that. That’s why I call my mom every game. Her and my dad did so much for me in terms of taking me to the games and getting to watch them, and I get to be that guy. I just wanted to take it in, just in case. I got in the locker room; I didn’t want to take my pads off either. Mixed signals in there, so I’m sorry,” he explained.

“It’s a very emotional decision you’d make right now, and so you don’t want to make an emotional decision because emotional decisions often they can steer you the wrong direction. You always take a step back and just make a decision from there.”

Despite the need for solemn reflection, Harris reiterated that his criteria for return is the same as last year: “I won’t come back unless I know I can be a tier-one quarterback.”

After leading the CFL in passing yardage this season, he feels better physically than he did after the team’s Grey Cup win in 2025. It is clear that he still fits that “tier-one” description, though he acknowledges not everybody in Rider Nation agrees. That passion is exactly why the thought of leaving — whether for the offseason or for good — brings on the waterworks.

“I’ve never had more fun playing football. You meet so many people in the province that share the love of the game that I do, and they share the love of this team. When I first signed with the Roughriders, I was excited to be the quarterback here. But as you kind of go, you understand why this is the province’s team and why it means so much and why you want to represent them on the field,” he explained.

“From the coaches all the way down to the last fans you meet, they have opinions, and I understand that some people might not have great opinions of me because there’s young guys that are athletic and can run. I get it, but I’m still an elite quarterback in this league. I know that. There’s just so much admiration to wear the green and white for me, just because of the history of this province’s organization.”