Jake Maier excited to join “really, really strong” Roughriders quarterback room
Newly signed Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jake Maier already has a passing familiarity with Mosaic Stadium.
Maier, previously of the Calgary Stampeders, joins the Roughriders with 45 CFL starts — including three superlative showings in Regina — to his good name.
“I always refer to Saskatchewan as kind of the mecca of our league,” Maier said on Friday during a Zoom call with reporters.
“You hear about the different places to play in other sports leagues, whether it’s Madison Square Garden or the Staples Center or wherever that may be. In the CFL, I view Saskatchewan like that.
“It does raise your level of play when you walk into that type of environment. I’m just looking forward to seeing what’s like to be on the cheer side of that type of environment.
“It has been fun to be competitor, but I know it’s going to be even more fun to be on the same side now and make the fan base proud.”
The Roughriders announced on Thursday that a deal had been reached with Maier, who had been acquired from Calgary on Dec. 23. He was eligible to become a free agent on Feb. 11.
Since joining the Stampeders in 2021 out of the University of California, Davis, Maier has thrown for 11,685 yards and 60 touchdowns. Overall, he has dressed for 65 regular-season games.
Last season, he was third in the league in touchdown passes (22) and fourth in aerial yards (3,841) for a 5-12-1 Calgary team.
“I don’t spend too much time thinking about the individual stuff, but physically, mentally and all things considered, I feel like I was the best I’ve been since I’ve been in the CFL,” he said.
“That didn’t translate into enough winning, obviously. That’s something that I’m obviously focused on all the time and I’m trying to make sure that I’m leading the group the best that I can.
“I was proud of the jump from Year 3 to Year 4. I’m still climbing the ladder to reach my peak, but I feel like it is an upward trajectory. On a personal note, I do feel really good about where I’m trending as a quarterback.”
A starter since 2022, Maier recognizes his tenure in Saskatchewan will commence in a supporting role alongside Trevor Harris — a divisional All-CFL selection in 2024.
Harris threw for 3,264 yards and 20 TDs in 11 starts last season while helping Saskatchewan finish second in the West, earn a home playoff game, and advance to the division final.
“Trevor is one of the more high-class individuals in our league — one of best quarterbacks in our league — and somebody who I’ve respected in my early years (of professional football),” Maier said of someone who is preparing for his 13th CFL season.
“I always enjoy watching a Trevor Harris game, because it’s very intentional and very detailed. He’s got great feet. He’s got great eyes. He understands the CFL game.
“He was one of the first guys who reached out and called me when the trade went down. He just said, ‘Hey, I’m here if you need anything. If you need any advice or if there are any questions that you want to be answered from now until you figure out your contract situation, I’m here for you.’ That meant a lot to me and my family.
“I’m a big fan of Trevor. We go back and forth — even now, over the last couple of days — through texts. We share a lot of similarities that we didn’t know before communicating with each other.
“I think the quarterback room and that dynamic is going to be really, really strong.”
Maier gives Saskatchewan four quarterbacks who are under contract through at least 2025. The others are Harris, Jack Coan (a rookie last season) and Michael Hiers (who was recently re-signed after spending time on the practice roster in the fall).
“I made it very clear to (Harris) that I know the situation I’m walking into,” Maier emphasized. “I want to be nothing but a resource for him. I want to be a supporter. I want to be somebody who just does what he can for the team in any capacity.
“I understand what kind of leader he is and what kind of respect he has from the coaches and his management and his teammates. We’re going to follow his lead, because he has earned that, and I look forward to being a part of that.”
Maier is also excited about renewing a collaboration with Marc Mueller, who debuted as the Roughriders’ offensive co-ordinator in 2024 after spending nearly a decade on the Stampeders’ coaching staff.
“He’s responsible for my baby years in the CFL,” said Maier, who turns 28 on April 9. “Our relationship has obviously been pretty tight over the years.
“In those early years — during the cancelled season and the pandemic — he was so willing to constantly stay in touch with me, as a rookie he had never met before.
“He was making sure I was as comfortable and confident as I could be going into my rookie season, to give me the best opportunity possible to make that team as a rookie.
“With the development over that first season and especially into that second season, he was able to build me up as a player to where I was able to step into a role at a very young age, early in my career, to start games and play well. I give him a ton of credit for that.
“Obviously, we’re very close. He’s like a CFL brother to me. There is a very high level of respect when it comes to that. If it weren’t for his guidance early in my career. I really don’t think I’d be at where I am right now.”
