FaceTime quickly became Mace time when the Saskatchewan Roughriders reached out to Jermarcus Hardrick.
Signing the two-time CFL All-Star offensive tackle was a high priority for Head Coach Corey Mace and Vice-President of Football Operations/ General Manager when the league’s free-agent negotiating window opened on Feb. 4.
The first interaction, via FaceTime, began with a robust greeting from Mace and soon included O’Day. That discussion was the catalyst for the announcement on Tuesday — the first day free agents could be formally signed — that Hardrick was a Roughrider.
“I think the draw was the relationship during the call,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say it was a big recruiting pitch or anything like that. It was about feeling that vibe, getting on the phone, talking to J.O. and talking to Mace. I was also talking to guys on Instagram beforehand, getting a feeling of what people were thinking.
“It took me a while to realize that I was hitting the market. Then I started reaching out to names I saw (on the free-agent list) and I was seeing all the same things: ‘Mace, Mace, Mace. Mace is a great guy. Mace is a leader of men.’
“It was just one of those things that I’ve been sleeping on for months now.”
Hardrick entered the free-agent pool with impressive credentials.
In 2023, for example, he was named the West Division’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
As well, Hardrick helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers win the past four West championships, along with Grey Cup titles in 2019 and 2021.
“I’ve been there (in Winnipeg) for so long,” he said. “It was so emotional. It was all my kids knew.
“I wasn’t looking for a new challenge, but I’m excited for a new challenge and having new motivation.
“There isn’t any bad blood or anything like that. I’m excited for new motivation and something new to get me going for workouts in the off-season.
“I’m excited, man.”
The excitement began in earnest for Hardrick as a Roughriders when he made his first start in green and white, on Sept. 6, 2015.
After being promoted from the practice roster, he helped the Roughriders defeat the visiting Blue Bombers 37-19 in the Labour Day Classic.
“My wife was pregnant with our second child,” recalled Hardrick, who originally signed with the Roughriders on June 5, 2015. “I missed that birth and I was in Sask on the practice squad.
“I had just gotten out of arena football and I was telling my wife, ‘Please let me continue to chase this dream.’
“We were 0-and-9 and our first win was on Labour Day. I just remember (Interim Head Coach) Bob Dyce giving me a chance and I just went out there and had fun.
“When I go back and look at that film, I’ve come a long way, but I know I still have a lot of work to do. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be back.”
After playing in eight games with the 2015 Roughriders, Hardrick signed with Winnipeg on Feb. 17 of the following year and became a cornerstone in the Manitoba capital.
At the same time, he experienced a few more milestone moments in Saskatchewan.
On July 1, 2017, he played in the first regular-season game at new Mosaic Stadium and helped the Blue Bombers win 43-40 in double overtime.
When a Grey Cup Game was first held at the new facility, Hardrick was again part of the equation. He started at right tackle for Winnipeg against the victorious Toronto Argonauts — who then employed Mace as the Defensive Co-ordinator — on Nov. 20, 2022.
Was it foreshadowed, then, that Hardrick would ultimately become a second-time Roughrider?
“There were little hints that I ran from all the time,” he said with a laugh from his off-season home in Lincoln, Neb. “I always got emotional when I was in Sask.
“We were in the home locker room when we lost the Grey Cup in 2022. It was just a weird vibe, even when we were there all week, being around all the green because I was with the Bombers.
“I was like, ‘This is cool.’ I saw the barber shop and the cold tub (in the locker room) and it made me start thinking a little bit. I had to refocus.
“Just going from playing my first game on Labour Day and playing in the new stadium, it has been a journey.
“I’m excited to get a chance to come back and try to do some things in the new stadium and build with this new team and build with Mace and J.O. and just be part of this team that turns it around.”
