Kudos to Trevor Harris for a job well done.
Saskatchewan Roughriders fans have conveyed such a sentiment in myriad ways since Harris quarterbacked the Green and White to Sunday’s 25-17 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
“At a restaurant, the guy came out and told me how much it was awesome that they got to make my steak,” he noted when he met the media on Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium.
Harris emerged from the high-stakes game as the Most Valuable Player after completing 23 of 27 passes — setting a Grey Cup record for completion percentage (85.2) — for 302 yards at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The first Roughrider to go 23-for-27 in a game of any magnitude was Ron Lancaster, who flame-broiled the Edmonton secondary in a 40-0 victory at Taylor Field on Aug. 15, 1976.
Lancaster’s grandson, Marc Mueller, has just completed his second season as the Roughriders’ Offensive Co-ordinator.
“I never want to take another snap for anybody else again,” Harris said. “He’s one of one.”
Mueller’s grandfather also came to mind when Harris discussed the aftermath of Sunday’s game.
“I just wanted to watch my teammates celebrate, so I sat back and watched Jameer Thurman,” he said. “I watched Mitch Picton and Jorgen Hus and all the guys.
“That was what I enjoyed doing the most — watching the guys enjoy themselves.”
And what did Lancaster do after piloting Saskatchewan to a 29-14 Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders on Nov. 26, 1966 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver?
“It was nice to just sit there and watch everybody celebrate and have a good time,” Lancaster recalled in a 2006 interview.
The iconic No. 23 played his final CFL game on Oct. 29, 1978, 15 days after turning 40. If Harris chooses to return next season, he will begin the 2026 campaign shortly after his 40th birthday (May 31).
It does sound promising.
“I’d be shocked if I turn around and say, ‘That’s a wrap,’ ” Harris said on Wednesday, when he emphasized that discussions must be held with the team’s brass and his family before any definitive decision is made.
“I don’t think this will take long,” he added. “The only thing I try and maintain is if I do come back, the same exact drive, the same exact motivation, the same exact work ethic, if not more, will be there.
“I’m not the person who will come back as sort of a ‘I’m going to round the bases’ sort of a guy. That’s not how I work. That’s not how I was raised.
“If I am back, it means that my drive is higher and that we want to do this again. I’m still going to take some time to do that, because emotions are high, especially after a situation like this. You just want to make sure that’s the case.”
One carrot — or even something infinitely more appetizing, such as the Neptune steak from Golf’s — is a chance to become part of the first repeat Grey Cup champion in franchise history.
As it stands, he is already part of an exclusive fraternity. Harris, Lancaster (1966), Kent Austin (1989), Kerry Joseph (2007) and Darian Durant (2013) are the Roughriders’ only Cup-winning starting signal-callers.
“This is our fifth title, but something we’ve never done is go back-to-back, so let’s go ahead and start talking about that,” Harris told thousands of fans outside the Legislative Building on Tuesday.
“Let’s run it back next year.”
Regardless of whether Harris is part of the equation, he feels the Roughriders are perfectly positioned to be a perennial powerhouse.
That assessment is based on the presence of Craig Reynolds (President-CEO), Jeremy O’Day (Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager), Corey Mace (Head Coach and Defensive Co-ordinator) and associates.
“I feel like they need to just get (Mace) a statue and give him a 25-year contract or something,” Harris said. “Give him no out clause. None of that. He’s the man.
“You’ve got the makings of a dynasty when you’ve got the leadership and the core players that we have here.
“It’s just a matter of, ‘Can you keep the band together?’ I guess time will tell.”
Harris seems to be immune to the ravages of time, as evidenced by his performance in 2025.
“I feel like I’m supposed to feel different, because I get all these questions like, ‘Is this it?’ Is it supposed to be? Do I look old? Am I not playing well? Do I look like a geezer? Do I have grey hair?” he said with a smile.
“I said on the stage (after the Grey Cup), ‘I feel like I’m somewhere between retiring and just hitting my prime.’
“I know I said last year that physical deterioration wouldn’t be what retires me. I still maintain that. I said last year that I felt my best football is in front of me and, if there is more football in front of me, I still maintain that.”
He also maintains a deep affection for Saskatchewan — an affinity that has grown since he signed with the Roughriders as a free agent on Feb. 14, 2023.
“I feel like I’m a Regina guy,” Harris said. “I hope I get to retire as a Roughrider and I hope that’s what I’m remembered as.
“I’ve played for five teams, so it’s like, ‘Who’s he going to be remembered as?’ I sure hope I’m remembered for wearing the green and white, because I feel like this town fits me. I feel like the people here are the way I am, too.
“The way I was raised, I’m a small-town kid. I grew up in a town of 400 people — Waldo, Ohio. Being a small-town guy, I feel like this place fits me. I couldn’t be more grateful.
“I’m grateful for all you guys (in the media). I’m grateful to wake up every day that I’ve been here and be the quarterback here. I never, ever, ever will take that lightly.
“That’s why I’m going to take some time to reflect and make sure that J.O., Corey and the guys want me here, and that I can give the exact same effort, if not more, to what I do.
“If you let up one ounce in this game, you’ll get eaten for lunch.”
And a celebratory steak dinner will be out of the question.
