Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have re-signed star running back A.J. Ouellette. It’s a one-year contract for the 2026 CFL season.
The 30-year-old set single-season career highs with 248 carries for 1,222 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns on the ground in 2025. He added 35 receptions for 250 yards with one major. That production provided value for Saskatchewan as the highest-paid American RB in the three-down league.
Ouellette registered 17 carries for 113 yards along with two catches for 13 yards in the 24-21 West Final win. He ran 17 times for 83 yards and one touchdown in the 112th Grey Cup victory while hauling in one pass for 32 yards. That totals 241 offensive yards in two playoff games for No. 45, who now has two CFL championship rings.
His offseason carnivore diet fuelled a viral body transformation and powered Ouellette’s durable and productive campaign last year.
After initially signing with Saskatchewan in February 2024, Ouellette started eight regular-season games that season but missed 10 contests due to hip and quad issues. He carried the football 98 times for 516 yards with two touchdowns plus 16 receptions for 147 yards. In the CFL playoffs, the physical back rushed 14 times for 70 yards with two touchdowns in a West Semi-Final win over B.C. and 10 times for 51 yards with one touchdown in a West Final loss against Winnipeg.
The five-foot-nine, 208-pound ball-carrier had a breakout year in 2023 with the Toronto Argonauts, rushing 178 times for 1,009 yards, 5.7 per carry, and eight touchdowns while catching 16 passes for 163 yards and four majors. He tied for the league lead with 10 runs of 20-plus yards on the way to being named an East Division all-star for the second consecutive season.
Through 62 career CFL games, Ouellette has rushed 700 times for 3,562 yards, 5.1 per carry, with 21 touchdowns. He’s added 110 receptions for 802 yards, 8.6 per catch, and five touchdowns. He signed with the Argos in September 2019 following stints with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
The Covington, Ohio native was twice named a second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection during his collegiate career with Ohio University. In 50 games with the Bobcats, he rushed 719 times for 3,829 yards and 32 touchdowns — including two 1,000-yard seasons — along with 64 receptions for 516 yards and six touchdowns playing alongside Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke.
Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division for the first time since 2019 with a 12-6 record in 2025. The Riders went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium, marking the team’s first title in 12 years. Trevor Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts.
The Roughriders ranked second in net offence, second in net defence, and tied for third with a plus-eight turnover differential. The team’s leading rusher was Ouellette with 1,222 yards, the leading receiver was KeeSean Johnson with 1,159 yards, and the 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.