{"id":520948,"date":"2026-03-07T18:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T18:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/520948\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T18:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T18:45:09","slug":"how-saskatchewan-roughriders-pulled-james-letcher-jr-away-from-ottawa-redblacks-in-cfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/520948\/","title":{"rendered":"How Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled James Letcher Jr. away from Ottawa Redblacks in CFL free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo: Thomas Skrlj\/CFL.ca. Photo edit: 3DownNation.<\/p>\n

The Saskatchewan Roughriders swooped in to steal James Letcher Jr. away from the Ottawa Redblacks during the Canadian Football League negotiation window.<\/p>\n

\u201cI only talked to two teams: I talked to Ottawa and I talked to Saskatchewan. I was really going for Ottawa. Then Saskatchewan came out of nowhere,\u00a0talked to me, and they sold me,\u201d Letcher Jr. told 3DownNation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really headed to Ottawa, I was ready to go. Then my agent told me\u00a0another team wanted to talk to me. I wasn\u2019t technically agreed to terms at the time, but\u00a0it was a verbal agreement, if that makes sense \u2014 I was telling my agent, \u2018OK, this is where I want to go.\u2019 At the time, it was my only option, so I was like, \u2018OK, it\u2019s my only option, I got to go there.\u2019 But whenever he told me Saskatchewan wanted to\u00a0talk to me, I was trying to wait to talk to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Redblacks released DeVonte Dedmon prior to CFL free agency and the Riders wanted to bring in a younger returner with Mario Alford<\/a> being 35 years old. That led to head coach Corey Mace giving Letcher Jr. a FaceTime call while he was at church on Sunday, February 1. After the service was over, he returned Mace\u2019s call and his new bench boss gave him a virtual tour through Mosaic Stadium\u2019s facilities. He also spoke to special teams coordinator Kent Maugeri. However, one call stood out among the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrevor Harris<\/a> ended up calling me\u00a0before I made that decision to check in. He heard that I was on their list and he heard I was a target. He wanted to at least reach out\u00a0and see what he could do or see what he could say to get me over here,\u201d Letcher Jr. said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving their quarterback hit me up and say he wants you on the team, he wants you to get involved on offence, it was big to me.\u00a0He played in Montreal back in the day, so a few of the guys on the Montreal team\u00a0know about him. To have him call and reach out is huge. It means he\u2019s thinking about me, he knows what I could do as a player on the field. He would love to have me on the team and I love to play with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2025 Grey Cup MVP helped Saskatchewan become the favourite to sign the productive returner. General manager Jeremy O\u2019Day<\/a> finalized the agreement by offering more money than Ottawa. Letcher Jr. signed a one-year contract with the Roughriders<\/a> worth $125,300 in hard money, which included a $30,000 signing bonus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be bland about it, but I think it was a better offer as far as\u00a0money. Both of the teams were saying the same things as far as my position on the team, what I was going to do and what they wanted for me. The money was a little bit better, so I was like, \u2018I can\u2019t say no to this,’\u201d Letcher Jr. said.<\/p>\n

There are additional performance incentives in the deal \u2014 offensive playtime bonuses and $5,000 available in possible all-star and major individual award cash. If Letcher Jr. leads the West Division in punt return yards, he\u2019ll collect $1,000 and the same amount should he rank top two in that category league-wide. He can earn $300 per game for playing 51 percent or more of the offensive snaps, working into his vision to lineup more as a receiver with the Riders than he did with the Alouettes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest thing the past few years in Montreal was I wanted to get more\u00a0involved on offence. I\u2019m special at returner, but I know that I\u2019m more than a\u00a0returner.\u00a0Saskatchewan, I know they still got some guys over there as well,\u00a0but it\u2019s a little more open ground as far as they\u2019re going to let me compete for it,\u201d Letcher Jr. said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s my\u00a0option, I\u2019d love to do it. If they want me to do both, I\u2019m down to do both. If they want me to strictly be on offence\u00a0and do a little bit of a special teams, I\u2019ll do that too. But I don\u2019t only want to do returning, I don\u2019t only want to do specials. I\u2019m definitely looking to do both, if I can be the starter on both, that\u2019d be perfect for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montreal did not engage in any contract extension discussions with Letcher Jr. himself prior to becoming a free agent. According to him, the last time he spoke to anyone from the organization was exit meetings in November. Although, one coach did call him after the Als signed Dedmon to be the team\u2019s primary returner in late January<\/a>. At that point, it was known he would be on a new team for the 2026 CFL season.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old, who earned $115,000 last year, did not dress in the 112th Grey Cup against Saskatchewan, as Travis Theis was used as the primary returner. Letcher Jr. was sidelined due to a hairline fracture in his right fibula which he had been battling since suffering that setback in the first quarter during a Week 16 game against the Toronto Argonauts. He missed Montreal\u2019s final four regular-season games, but returned for the East Semi-Final and East Final.<\/p>\n

Letcher Jr. stated he\u2019s fully recovered and feels 100 percent. The five-foot-seven, 180-pound playmaker spends his off-seasons in Kansas City, Kan., which is his hometown. He\u2019s incorporated two-a-day weight sessions into his weekly training routine along with speed drills and on-field work, including route running, as the dynamic athlete prepares to make an impact with the Green and White.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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