If there’s anybody West of the Prairies qualified to talk about the passionate football fans and culture in Saskatchewan, that man is Riley Pickett. Fresh off of putting pen to paper on a two-year contract extension, the Lions fullback, special teams foot soldier and Saskatoon native admits ‘unfinished business’ will carry him all through the off-season.
“I’ve thought about it, honestly, every day since. It doesn’t make it any better that I live here and have to work out with some of their guys,” said Pickett in an interview with bclions.com.
We’re speaking, of course, about the Lions’ gut-wrenching 24-21 Western Final loss at Saskatchewan that ended their 2025 championship aspirations with a resounding thud just five weeks ago. Even with the holiday presents being wrapped, it’s a feeling that will linger for quite some time. And it should serve as motivation for Pickett and anyone who looks back on the feeling of walking off that frigid field on November 8th.
“Other than the Vanier Cup loss in 2021 (with Saskatchewan against Western), that was the worst sports moment to happen to me personally,” stated Pickett.
“It’s like the wind being taken out of your lungs. Your stomach hits the floor. It was terrible. We were winning the whole game. We deserved it, came out and hit them in the mouth early and kept going. But that’s just sport. Sometimes, the Football Gods just have a different plan.”
Pick A Position: Pickett Will Thrive
And the plan for Pickett has worked out fairly well so far. A fourth-round draft pick as a defensive end from the prestigious Saskatchewan Huskies program in 2022, the former Canada West All-Star had to ply his trade on the practice roster for half of his rookie year. He quickly learned that versatility could be his ally.
“Everything was moving fast that year. It was the first year Nathan Rourke was popping off, so we had a lot of leads late in games that enabled me to get in on defence in my rookie year; super cool experience,” he recalls.
But with a surplus of defensive linemen on the roster in his second season, Pickett used his special teams prowess to parlay his roster spot into the long snapper position. That enabled him to start all 18 regular season games, plus his first two in the Grey Cup Playoffs. With the addition of NFL veteran Kyle Nelson in 2024, Pickett was able to remain as the snapper on field goals and further cemented his relationship with Sean Whyte and punters Stefan Flintoft and Carl Meyer.
Pickett counts Nelson as one of the big mentors in his development, but it’s the connection with the special teams coordinator from those two years that Pickett credits as his biggest source of professional guidance.
“Mike Benevides and I have a very special bond, a very special relationship,” said Pickett.
“He trusted me to go in there without much practice and play more special teams and be one of the best players on that unit. He was very hard on me; he expected a lot out of me, because he knew how great I could be. It was perfect for me, because it was the same coaching style I had with both the Saskatoon Hilltops and Saskatchewan Huskies. It’s tough, it’s gritty and they expect greatness out of you. Bene really helped propel me to the next level in my career. I can definitely say that.”
Year four marked his latest, and if he has his way, his last, positional change. Pickett took over from the retired David Mackie as the club’s starting fullback and racked up 62 yards from scrimmage on nine touches. Always multi-dimensional thanks to the guidance of Benevides, Pickett added 18 special teams tackles. He sees his current role as one he’s excited to tackle for several years to come.
“I definitely know what my future is going to be: it’s going to be playing fullback for the BC Lions. I couldn’t be more excited, I couldn’t be more proud,” stated Pickett.
“I love playing in the Dome, I love playing in Victoria, I love playing in Kelowna and going to Kamloops for camp. I love all my teammates. It’s such a good group of guys.”
And while he goes through the rigours of his off-season workouts with Saskatchewan Roughriders friends Noah Zerr, Logan Ferland and Nick Wiebe, just to name a few, Pickett will be reminded that the mountain climb is still to be completed.
“Everybody always says, ‘When are you going to come back home?’ ‘Never, ‘ I tell them. Absolutely not. This is personal for me. I would never join a team that beats me. Because I want to come out and top and beat them. I know what’s possible for this group. I’m really excited to get back with everybody and start the long journey for 2026 to hoist that Cup and right all the wrongs. I want to win that last game of the season.”
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com