‘Let’s do this again’: Hardrick excited to be back with Riders for 2026

Jermarcus Hardrick wanted to be in Saskatchewan so it was a painless process to get him signed to a contract extension.

“I didn’t get a chance to talk to (Jeremy O’Day), but my agent did. I think it was one or two calls and next thing I knew I was signing a new contract,” the 35-year-old said. “I was talking to Trevor (Harris) and talking to Sam (Emilus) and was talking to guys the whole time. Just seeing where everyone was. I was excited to get mine in and now just waiting on the other guys and lets do this thing again and go try to earn it.”

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The extension will keep him with the Saskatchewan Roughriders through the 2026 season.

He said it was the people in the locker room who made him want to come back.

“We had each other’s backs. We had hard conversations, we had easy conversations — we talked about life and talked about ball,” Hardrick said. “Sometimes it didn’t even feel like work. Sometimes when I was in the meeting room, it felt like I was in the cafeteria when I was in high school with all my best friends and we were just hanging out and we would eventually get our work done.

“It just didn’t feel like work a lot. It keeps me young and I’m just excited to get better and I must get better.”

Hardrick was one of the big pieces of the puzzle for the Riders as they enjoyed a 2025 campaign that ended with them raising the Grey Cup. The 6’4″, 315-pound offensive lineman was a stalwart at the right tackle spot for the team. His performance throughout the season saw him named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman at the CFL awards.

“It felt good at the time. I know my wife told me to make sure I celebrate (the lineman award) after we won and take it all in. Just make sure I don’t talk about it all the time and make sure I am getting ready for next year,” Hardrick said. “It was something me and my wife talked about after we did it and me and the kids were all happy about it but I’m glad we got the team award.

“It’s over there on the stand. I’m not really worried about it and just focused on the next one.”

He is one of the pending free agents who inked new deals recently. It follows a pair of quarterbacks signing on — Grey Cup MVP and starter Trevor Harris, as well as short-yardage specialist Tommy Stevens.

After signing his extension, Harris admitted that a few players had reached out to him to see what his plans were for 2026.

“I was probably coming back no matter what he did but I was messaging and calling Trevor. We were talking all the time and making sure we can get the band back together as much as possible. I’m not crazy — I know Trevor makes me look good,” Hardrick said. “If Trevor can come back, I want to come back. It was a no-brainer for me. I want to continue to play with Trevor and a lot of those guys but when Trevor’s name was down, it was a no-brainer for me.”

Hardrick believes the core of the Riders has what it takes to make another run at the Grey Cup.

“I think we have a lot of hard-working guys and we have a lot of talented guys. We have guys who want to do it and we have a coach and we’re in the right situation. It’s all about us earning it,” Hardrick said.

But first, the Riders will put up their 2025 banner on June 13th in their season-opener against the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders have a bye in Week 1.

“It’s going to be emotional. We have to lock back in quickly, but it’s something we’ve talked about and something we wanted. We earned that and so many people work hard to earn that,” Hardrick said. “I’m just going to be grateful and happy to see it but not satisfied and try to put another one up there.”

The CFL’s Free Agency period opens on Feb. 10, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The Free Agency Communication Window is scheduled for Feb.1 to 8.