Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

112th Grey Cup MVP Trevor Harris does not believe his decision whether to play in 2026 will take long to make. The 39-year-old thinks pretty quickly and trusts his gut, though there’s a process he wants to go through.

“I’m grateful to wake up every day that I’ve been here and be the quarterback. I never, ever, ever will take that lightly,” Harris said. 

“That’s why I’m going to take some time to make sure that [general manager Jeremy O’Day], (head coach) Corey [Mace] and the guys want me to be here. And that I can give the exact same, if not more, effort into what I do. If you let up one ounce in this game, you’ll get eaten for lunch, and I’m not going to do that.”

Mace made it clear how much he wants No. 7 back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. When asked on a scale from one to 10 how much he wants Harris to run it back, the 39-year-old bench boss replied emphatically.

“Me personally? 10. I love Trevor, man. I’ve been very vocal about that and I’m not going to start mincing my words now. I love him enough to respect any time that he may need to make that decision for himself and his family,” Mace said.

“I feel like they need to get a statue. Give him a 25-year contract, no out clause, none of that. He’s the man,” Harris said about Mace. “I think that you’ve got the makings of a dynasty when you’ve got leadership and the core players that we have here.”

It seems as though Harris wants to keep the Riders’ band together with him being the leader — or maestro, if you will. The six-foot-three, 210-pound passer did not sound like a professional athlete who was seriously considering retirement when he met with the media during locker clean out day.

“I feel like I’m supposed to feel different because I get all these questions, ‘So, is this it?’ And I’m like, ‘Is it supposed to be? Do I look old? Am I not playing well? Do I look like a geezer? Do I have grey hairs?’” Harris said.

“I feel like I’m supposed to feel different. I said on the stage, I feel like I’m somewhere between retiring and feel like I’m just hitting my prime. I know I said it last year that physical deterioration wouldn’t be what retires me and I still maintain that.”

Harris went through a similar process in deciding to return to Saskatchewan last offseason. The Roughriders lost in the West Final on Saturday, November 9 in 2024. He signed a contract extension, as first reported by 3DownNation, less than one month later, which was officially announced on Friday, December 6.

“I said last year, I felt like my best football was in front of me and if there is more football in front of me, I’d still maintain that. I know last year you guys thought I was crazy, don’t start believing me now because you might jinx it, but I do. I feel like I have better football in front of me, if that’s what I feel like God has in store for me,” Harris said.

“The only thing that I try and maintain is that 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 that will come back as like, ‘Hey, 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, that means that my drive is higher and that we want to do this again.”

After the Roughriders won the CFL championship in Winnipeg, Harris’ mind went to what was next. When was the next meeting? When was the next time he was going to watch film? When was his next workout? He called it a “sickness,” but hearing those words from his mouth prove more than anything that he’s locked into playing football.

“The reason the quarterback is the highest-paid guy is because a lot of the process and things you do — you touch the ball every play, you make a ton of decisions, you’re a leader whether you like it or not,” Harris said.

“I think everybody understands the kind of sacrifice it is for anybody to go on a journey like this as a football player. To be the quarterback of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and everything that entails, is probably another notch,” Mace said.

No. 7 called the 2025 Riders the “closest” team he’s even been on and shared his teammates do not want to leave each other. Harris holds offensive coordinator Marc Mueller in especially high esteem, calling his play-caller “one-of-one” and made it clear he never wants to take another snap for anybody else.

“I feel like we would continue to grow together if that’s what happens, if I am back here and they want me back and I’m able to come back,” he said.

Harris would not give a percentage chance regarding whether he could retire, but did note: “I’d be shocked if I’d turn around and say, ‘It’s a wrap.’” He does not want to put any undue pressure on his decision. Meanwhile, Mace wants to give his franchise QB time to make a fully-committed call. 

“He has an amazing family, an amazing supporting cast at his house. I know that what they feel is super important to Trevor and it’s super important to us,” Mace said. “If he says I want to play, I’d like us to try to do everything to make sure it’s in the green and white.”

Should Harris decide to keep playing, he’ll have a shot to become the first QB in Roughriders history to win two Grey Cups and also do it in back-to-back seasons. That would add to his legacy among Rider Nation that’s already been cemented as a legend with his victory in the 112th Grey Cup.

“I’ve played for five teams, so it’s like, ‘Who’s he going to be remembered as?’ I sure hope I’m remembered wearing the green and white. It’s because I feel like this town fits me,” Harris said.

“I feel like the people here are kind of 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. I feel like I’m a Regina guy. I hope I get to retire as a Roughrider and I hope that’s what I’m remembered as.”

Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division for the first time since 2019 with a 12-6 record in 2025. The Riders went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium, marking the team’s first title in 12 years. Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts.