Chad Owens is not the shy, retiring type.
The 35-year-old product of Honolulu is looking forward to playing his 10th CFL season in 2018 — and he made that very clear Monday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders were clearing out their lockers at Mosaic Stadium.
Asked if he was going to contemplate retirement this off-season, Owens replied: “Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No. Not one bit.”
That seems pretty definitive.
“That thought never crossed my mind,” the veteran receiver-returner continued. “I’ve got a lot of football left in me and I want to do it. I’m under contract to come back next year and I’m looking forward to having a healthy off-season with no nagging injuries, coming into camp healthy and being ready to fly around from Day 1.
“That’s where my head is at and that’s what I want to do. I love football. I love preparing for football. It’s always a goal of mine to work harder and prepare smarter going into the next year and to continue to prove that I’m very capable.
“I still feel very confident in my abilities and I believe it shows.”
Owens is one of 16 30-somethings who currently appear on the Roughriders’ active roster, practice roster, one-game injured list and six-game injured list.
Quarterback Kevin Glenn is the team’s oldest player at 38 and he fully intends to return for his 18th season in 2018. Owens is next at 35, followed by a pair of 34-year-olds in slotback Chris Getzlaf and defensive back Jovon Johnson.
Like Owens, Johnson hopes to return in 2018 — but the decision isn’t completely up to him.
“I would love to still play,” said Johnson, who just completed his 11th CFL season. “I know that I can still play and I still bring so much to the table.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s the end, but that’s a conversation that I need to have with my wife and family and see what’s out there and what’s available.”
Johnson is slated to become a free agent in February, but he noted he has had talks with the Roughriders about a contract extension. The talks with his family take precedence, obviously, but Johnson noted that early discussions with the Roughriders have been fruitful.
“We’ve pretty much agreed on what would work best for both sides and it’s just a matter of the team going to find out what the salary-cap (situation) is and going from there,” Johnson said. “At this time, I’ll just take time away from the game and see what happens.”
The rest of the over-30 crowd comprises guard Peter Dyakowski (33), receiver Rob Bagg (32), punter Josh Bartel (32), offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman (32), defensive lineman Ivan Brown (32), safety Jeff Hecht (32), guard Brendon LaBatte (31), safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette (31), tailback-returner Marcus Thigpen (31), defensive tackle Makana Henry (30), defensive back Crezdon Butler (30) and slotback Bakari Grant (30).
Many of those players were productive for the Roughriders in 2017, while others had injury-plagued seasons.
Owens was bothered by a foot injury that he suffered 12 games into the 2016 season when he was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Signed as a free agent by the Roughriders in February, Owens spent the first 14 weeks of the 2017 campaign on the Roughriders’ injured list. After getting healthy, he spent one week as a reserve before dressing for Saskatchewan’s final three regular-season games and two playoff contests.
Those circumstances may have stoked his fire to return in 2018.
“I’ve faced adversity my whole life,” said Owens, who finished the regular season with 17 catches for 235 yards and a touchdown and four carries for 32 yards before adding two receptions for 33 yards and one rush for 19 yards in the playoffs.
“Patience is one thing but, on the flip side, you’re not just sitting around waiting. You’re actively building and creating as opposed to waiting, not patiently waiting for an opportunity but creating that opportunity again. That has always been my approach.
“I’m not going to be dormant. I want to continue to work and when the time comes, we’ll be ready to roll … My mentality is always that I’m going to come in in the best shape of my life and ready to have the best season of my career.”
Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones doesn’t know what the future holds for some of the team’s older players. Discussions with them were set to happen before the Roughriders went their separate ways for the off-season.
Jones expected most of the players to return in 2018, but he wasn’t sure yet because “so many guys decide at different points when enough is enough.”
Johnson has yet to reach a decision, but he may be swayed by the team’s progress this season.
After going 5-13-0 and missing the playoffs in 2016, the Roughriders finished 10-8-0 in the 2017 regular season and advanced to the East Division final. A 25-21 loss to the host Toronto Argonauts on Sunday ended Saskatchewan’s season one game short of the Grey Cup game.
“I would be so grateful to be a part of this team, this organization, in the coming years so we can make another run at it,” Johnson said. “I think that we have the group and the guys in our locker room to get it done.”
