“They both wanted to be here”: O’Day, Mace sign contract extensions

Jeremy O’Day and Corey Mace were born on different sides of the Canada/U.S. border, nearly 4,500 kilometres apart — nowhere near Saskatchewan, in either case.

Yet, the land of the Green and White has become home.

Their partnership, established in November of 2023, is secured until at least 2028 after the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Tuesday that O’Day (Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager) and Mace (Head Coach and Defensive Co-ordinator) have signed contract extensions that take effect after the 2026 CFL season.

The big news arrives on the heels of the Roughriders (12-4) clinching first place overall in the CFL and hosting privileges for the Western Final (Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

“Jeremy and I have a great working relationship and Jeremy and Corey have a great working relationship, so it came together quite easily and quite quickly,” President-CEO Craig Reynolds said on Tuesday.

“They both wanted to be here. We wanted them both to be here.”

Talks commenced in late August, the initial step being to extend O’Day’s tenure in Saskatchewan so it would approach the 30-year mark.

He debuted with the Roughriders as an offensive lineman in 1999. Beginning in 2000, he was a mainstay at centre for a decade before moving to the team’s football-operations side.

O’Day was named to his current position on Jan. 18, 2019. In his first year as the GM, the Roughriders went 13-5 and finished first in the West Division.

Mace was hired on Nov. 30, 2023. He, too, enjoyed success in Season 1 of a new job, being honoured as the division’s Coach of the Year.

“Stability and continuity in pro sports is really, really important,” Reynolds said. “I love going to work with both those guys. They’ve had tremendous success so far and I’m excited we were able to get this done.”

The excitement is shared by O’Day, who is about to experience his 12th division final as a Roughrider.

“I’m very honoured and privileged to continue to represent the Roughriders,” said O’Day, 51, who was born in Lockport, N.Y. “I’ve been here for quite some time and my whole family has been raised here. It’s pretty special for me to be able to receive the extension.”

And, in turn, to be able to secure an extension with Mace.

“With Corey, it’s not just words,” O’Day said. “It’s not just putting something up on a PowerPoint and saying, ‘This is our motto.’

“For the really good coaches, they know how players feel. They kind of go through the emotions with the players. He’s able to do that, so he can feel what they feel.

“He knows when to push and when to pull. He’s got a good handle on the players and what they need. He can be that soft hand. He can be the heavy hand if he needs to be. He’s just good at predicting when to do that.”

From the outset, the O’Day/Mace duo was a perfect fit.

“They complement each other so well,” Reynolds said. “They’re both family guys and they see the world very similarly. You could see that from Day 1, even when I met Corey.

“Watching those two work together, they just have an outstanding working relationship. They work extremely well together. They have the same values and they live those values day in and day out.

“They understand the community and the importance of this franchise to the community. It’s special when you get two folks who are like that, so you want them to be here for the long term.”

The playing careers of O’Day and Mace intersected during the 2010 CFL season. Mace was then a first-year CFL defensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders after having made his professional football debut with the Buffalo Bills — O’Day’s favourite NFL team.

After Mace spent his entire CFL playing career with the Stampeders, he remained with Calgary as its Defensive Line Coach. He subsequently spent two seasons (2022 and 2023) as the Toronto Argonauts’ Defensive Co-ordinator before joining the Roughriders.

“Saskatchewan and the people of this province are very family oriented and very loyal to the things that they love,” said Mace, 39, who hails from Vancouver. “We see it the same way.

“I think from a football standpoint and how we’re trying to build the team matches perfectly with the identity of the people of this province as well. There were a lot of things that aligned.

“Hopefully we’re making everybody proud to this point and that we continue to do it week in and week out.”