Rehabilitation one year. Elation the next.
Such is the pronounced contrast between off-seasons for offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, who rebounded from a serious quad injury to become the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman during the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Grey Cup championship season of 2025.
“I had to rehab a lot last off-season,” Hardrick said on Wednesday. “This off-season, I just want to make sure I’m mobile, make sure I can bend, make sure I’m not sore.
“I still must get better. I’ve still got to get stronger and maintain speed. But I want to go find the plays and get to the deeper problem — like the plays that I did mess up on — and try to get better on those.
“I know I won’t be perfect next year. We’ve got a lot of great guys (in the league), but I want to get as close to perfect as I can and get better.
“This off-season, I’m just going to try to stay young and run around a lot more.”
Hardrick is once again spending the off-season at home in Lincoln, Neb., with his wife (Samantha) and three children (Jermarcus Jr., Santana and Lyla).
A year ago, the entire family was involved in the rehabilitation process, to the extent that the kids helped Dad with exercises geared toward flexibility and strength.
All five Hardricks — and not just the Roughriders’ No. 52 — played an integral role in the finest season to date for someone who turned 35 during training camp.
He was named the CFL’s top offensive lineman only three days before Saskatchewan defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 in the 112th Grey Cup Game, played Nov. 16 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The Manitoba capital was a fitting site from the perspective of Hardrick, who as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers earned All-CFL honours in 2021 and 2023 before receiving that distinction as a Roughrider this past November.
Given those credentials, he could have been a premium name on the free-agent market, but he opted to sign a new one-year deal two months before his previous pact was to expire.
“I wanted to be back,” Hardrick said. “I love the place. I love the fans. I love the organization. I love coming to work.
“I love where I’m at. I love what we did last year and I want a chance to earn it again.”
All it took was “one or two calls” between Hardrick’s agent and Roughriders Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O’Day.
“The next thing I knew, I was signing the contract,” Hardrick said.
His previous signing with Saskatchewan took place on Feb. 13, 2024, on Day 1 of free agency.
The Roughriders began the season that followed with four consecutive victories. In the fifth game of 2024, Hardrick suffered the quad injury.
He returned with a flourish, playing every snap for which he was available in 2025. The only game he missed was for precautionary reasons, with first place already secured for the Green and White.
Hardrick was part of an offensive line that dominated the opposition during the Western Final and the Grey Cup. Quarterback Trevor Harris was not sacked in either game — a span in which running back A.J. Ouellette led a formidable ground attack — as the Roughriders capped a dream season with a championship.
“The guys showed up every day, no matter the score,” Hardrick said. “We had each other’s back. We had hard conversations. We had easy conversations. We talked about life. We talked about football.
“Sometimes it didn’t even feel like work. When I was in the meeting room, sometimes it felt like I was in high school with all my best friends and we were just hanging out and eventually we got our work done.
“It keeps me young. I’m just excited to get better and I must get better.”
What could be better? Becoming the first repeat Grey Cup champion since the 2021 Blue Bombers — a team that included Hardrick.
“When we won that first one in Winnipeg, we kind of talked about it during the celebration, but other than that we just came to work and worked every day,” he recalled. “Eventually, we were at another Grey Cup.
“I know that right after the Grey Cup (in 2025), we all talked about repeating and wanting to do it again. I just want to make sure I’m the guy in the locker room saying, ‘We’ve got to win this day. We’ve got to win these meetings. We’ve got to win in camp.’
“Let’s not just think you’re going to show up and repeat. There are eight other great teams and 450-some other great players. There’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to win before we get a chance to win another Grey Cup.”