Riders sign former NFL punter and Regina native Jon Ryan

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Canadian punter Jon Ryan, according to the man himself.

Late Monday night, Ryan Tweeted out Puff Daddy’s Coming Home with a green heart emoji, confirming speculation that the Riders had inked the Regina native.

https://t.co/ioeiLcrNkS 💚⚪️🇨🇦 Let’s Go!!!

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— Jon Ryan (@JonRyan9) May 14, 2019

The news was first reported by former Riders radio play-by-play man Rod Pedersen.

Ryan was born and raised in Regina developing football skills at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate high school and playing for the University of Regina Rams where he earned USports (at the time CIS) All-Canadian status.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected Ryan in the third round, 24th overall, of the 2004 CFL draft. Ryan handled the punting duties for two seasons, leading the CFL with a 50.6-yard average in 2005.

NFL teams took notice of Ryan’s strong leg and Green Bay signed him to a contract. Ryan spent two seasons with the Packers. After that, Ryan moved on to Seattle for 10 seasons, including a Super Bowl championship in 2014.

During training camp in 2018, Ryan was released by Seattle. The Buffalo Bills signed Ryan but let him go less than two weeks later and the 37-year-old didn’t play the rest of the season.

Ryan has punted 914 times for 40,895 yards and a 44.7-yard average – with 311 punts inside the 20-yard line.

It’s a dream come true for Ryan to play for the Riders.

3Down Staff