As much as A.J. Ouellette enjoys receiving handoffs, his favourite carries now take place away from the football field.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ featured running back loves holding his newborn daughter, Isla Jo.
“It’s a different mindset,” Ouellette said on Thursday during an online media conference from Toronto, where he took part in CFL-related media and promotional sessions.
“I didn’t know how fast it would click in, but as soon as I was holding her, it’s no longer, ‘I’m playing this game because I love playing.’ I’m playing this game so I can take care of my daughter — so I can be the best running back to make sure I’m playing again next year and making a paycheque.
“And it softens me up a little bit. I’ve done some ballerina moves in the living room while trying to rock her to sleep.”
Ouellette and his girlfriend, Caitlyn Amaral, welcomed Isla Jo on March 6.
As much as first-time fatherhood is a blessing and a joy, some major adjustments are warranted.
“The whole sleep thing is getting to me,” Ouellette said with a laugh. “I don’t know if it’s a trick that you need a sleep schedule before having kids, but I feel like people have got to start training years in advance.”
Mind you, Ouellette did receive a sneak preview late in the 2025 season, while living with quarterback Trevor Harris, his wife Kalie, and their four children — including little Livian, who was born on March of last year.
“There was the craziness of having three more on top of a newborn,” Ouellette marvelled. “They were like, ‘Just take it all in.’
“I’m talking to all the guys here (in Toronto) from different teams and the (kids) change so fast. Take all the pictures and videos you can.
“To be honest, this is the easy part of fatherhood, because when I put her down on the couch, she cannot move. They said, ‘Just wait until she’s running around the house.’ ”
If she takes after her father, she will also be running over everything.
The hard-nosed approach, labelled by Ouellette as “three yards and a bucket of blood,” helped him rank second among the league’s rushers during the Roughriders’ Grey Cup championship season of 2025.
The 5-foot-8, 208-pounder gained 1,222 yards along the ground, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and scoring eight touchdowns. He added another major — giving him a team-leading nine — on a reception during a banner all-around season.
Ouellette carried his excellence into the playoffs, beginning with a 113-yard rushing performance in the Western Final against the visiting B.C. Lions.
He added 83 more yards, including a four-yard TD run, in a 25-17 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg. His 32-yard reception was a key play in the touchdown drive that ended with him crossing the goal line.
“After we won the Grey Cup, we celebrated for 24 hours and then I felt like every celebration after that was kind of forced,” Ouellette noted. “In my mind, it was still, ‘We have a game coming up. It’s just not on the schedule.’
“I remember driving home (to Ohio) with Trevor and being like, ‘Dude, there should be a game. The season can’t be over already.’
“I think I have a good mindset in terms of stacking years on top of it. I just hope I can look back and enjoy it one day.”
As much as Ouellette does appreciate everything that transpired in 2025, his current mindset revolves around looking ahead. Main training camp is to begin on May 10 at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
“One thing I am looking forward to in training camp is the mindset of the team,” he said. “We’re no longer the Grey Cup champions. We’re Saskatchewan Roughriders, 2026, and we’ve got to show up day in and day out to win the day, win the battle, and win the week when it gets to the opponent.
“There is no looking forward to the next Grey Cup. It is, ‘Win your battle that week.’ You should get everybody’s best, because this is the CFL. It’s professional football and every team is good. Every team can win on a given day.
“So you’ve got to show up and get your wins. You need to stack them early and often to set yourself up in a good position.”