A.J. Allen could very well be the CFL’s MOP — Most Outgoing Personality.
That notion was entertained, as was the audience, when the 27-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker met with reporters on Tuesday at the Grey Cup Festival in Winnipeg.
Consider his response to a question pertaining to whether the prospect of the arch-rival Roughriders winning a CFL championship in the Manitoba capital is every Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan’s worst nightmare.
“I mean, now that I think about it, I’m going to go with ‘yes,’ ” Allen, who is preparing for Sunday’s matchup with the Montreal Alouettes, said while erupting into laughter.
“The rivalry is real. The rivalry is deep. Why not add a little extra motivation? It’s not like we need it at this point, anyway. We have goals that we want to accomplish and all that good stuff.
“But … yeah!”
The Blue Bombers captured five successive West titles before being dethroned by Saskatchewan.
Winnipeg, which finished fourth in the West in 2025, advanced to the East Division playoffs as a crossover participant. Montreal defeated Winnipeg 42-33 in the Eastern Semifinal, eliminating any possibility of the Blue Bombers playing on home turf with a Grey Cup berth at stake.
Saskatchewan placed first in the West and earned a bye into the division final, in which the Trevor Harris-quarterbacked Roughriders defeated the visiting B.C. Lions 24-21 on Saturday.
“Obviously, it feels amazing, but at the end of the day, being the kings of the West was not our goal,” Allen said. “That’s not what we set out to do. We didn’t come here to play in the Grey Cup. We came here to win one.
“No matter who we had to play, whether it was Winnipeg or anyone, it wouldn’t have mattered to me or us. It feels great to have this opportunity to be here.
“There was obviously many, many years of excellence over there (with the Blue Bombers), with the coaching staff, the players and all the way down.
“Respect to them but, like Trev said, ‘It’s our time.’ ”
TEVAUGHN’S TRAVELS
Roughriders cornerback Tevaughn Campbell has played for both 2025 Grey Cup finalists.
After making his professional football debut with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015, the former University of Regina Rams standout spent time in the CFL with the Roughriders (2016) and Alouettes (2017 and 2018) before heading south.
After years of circulation in the NFL, Campbell signed with Saskatchewan on Feb. 3.
Good move.
With six interceptions — including two in one game at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium — he finished in a five-way tie for the league lead. That was despite missing five games due to injury.
Campbell, a first-time All-CFL performer in 2025, led the loop in interception return yards (205).
“I kind of had a foundation of the CFL before I left and that never really went away,” he said on Tuesday. “Coming back, I knew what to expect. I knew what offences were trying to attack, who they were trying to attack, what parts of the field they were trying to attack.
“Just being able to play in (Head Coach) Corey Mace’s defence, especially, I think that was the biggest change in my career. The defences I was in before are a little different than now.
“It’s a defence where you’re made to make plays, so that definitely helped in my transition. The guys around me definitely helped in my transition. The coaches being former players who I played with or coaches who I’ve been around before definitely helped in the transition.”
Campbell was a CFL rookie when Mace, a former Stampeders defensive tackle, was in his final season as a player. In 2015, he suffered a season-ending foot injury shortly before the opener.
“When (Campbell) was a rookie, I was almost a danged coach then,” Mace said. “I was already hurt. I was cooked. But technically, yes, we were both on the roster.”
Ten years later, here they are again — allies with a Grey Cup looming.
“It has definitely come full circle,” Campbell said. “To see it come to fruition and come to life, it’s great.”
“THOMAS THE TRAIN” ARRIVES
Third-year Roughriders running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is excited to play in his first Grey Cup Game, period.
The opponent just happens to emanate from his home province of Quebec.
“Honestly, going from not even making the playoffs in my first year to making it to the West Final last year to finally making it to a Grey Cup, it’s just amazing,” he said.
“This whole team is like a family to me. Just being able to play, I don’t really care if it’s Montreal or whoever, honestly. As long as I am here with my family, I know we will be able to do this.”
Saskatchewan finished with a 6-12 record during Bertrand-Hudon’s rookie year. The team elevated its performance in 2024, finishing second in the division and winning a home playoff game. Now the Roughriders have ascended to another tier.
“It’s just from the challenge that we had last year, with not making it (to the Grey Cup), et cetera,” he said. “We knew we had to come back with even more effort and be even more precise with everything that we’re doing.
“Being able to fix all of those problems and also keeping most of the guys from last year’s roster, it has been a blessing.”
