Courtesy: Michael Scraper/Harvard Media

It’s not easy to hire qualified a general manager in the Canadian Football League given the constraints of the football operations cap, though it appears there’s an up-and-coming GM in Riderville.

“I think Kyle (Carson) will do a great job. I think he’s more than prepared and ready to be a GM. He’s been involved with every aspect, he’s heavily involved with our personnel, both on the U.S. side and the Canadian side,” Saskatchewan Roughriders’ GM Jeremy O’Day told 3DownNation during Grey Cup week.

“I’ve tried to steer him as much as I could and help him through anything that he hadn’t experienced in the past, but he’s pretty much gone through everything he needs to be a GM. I think he’d make an excellent GM. I wouldn’t look forward to losing him by any means, but he definitely would be a great candidate.”

Carson decided to remain in Saskatchewan for the 2026 CFL season despite interest from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the team’s GM job. Last offseason, he was reportedly one of three finalists for the same role with the Ticats. The 38-year-old has emerged as a legitimate GM candidate in the three-down league.

“I think it’s something that we actually hope to achieve. We hope to be in a position that other organizations are interested in your personnel, your staff, because that means you’re doing a good job, and so when we envision it, that’s what we envision,” O’Day said.

“It’s our job to be able to replace staff if they get other opportunities, so if we do, we’ll cross that bridge when we have to, but certainly some good candidates.”

The Roughriders finished first in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 12-6 record, finishing first in the West Division for the first time since 2019. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the team’s first championship in 12 years. Trevor Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Saskatchewan ranked second in net offence, second in net defence, and tied for third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The team’s leading rusher was A.J. Ouellette with 1,222 yards, leading receiver was KeeSean Johnson with 1,159 yards, and leading tackler was A.J. Allen with 91 tackles. Saskatchewan finished second in attendance with average crowds of 28,427, which was a 2.7 percent increase from the previous year.