When it comes to repeating as Grey Cup champions, Jermarcus Hardrick is the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ resident expert.
The 35-year-old offensive lineman went back-to-back with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021, the start of a run that saw that franchise reach five straight CFL championship games. After re-signing with the Riders this week, he believes the team has the makeup to do the same thing.
“I do think we’ve got a similar core,” Hardrick told the Regina media. “I think we’ve got a lot of hard-working guys. We’ve got a lot of talented guys. We’ve got guys who want to do it. We’ve got a coach. We’re in the right situation. It’s all about us earning (it).”
The Riders captured the fifth Grey Cup title in franchise history in the home of those same Bombers this November, defeating the Montreal Alouettes at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. It was Hardrick, who defected from Saskatchewan’s prairie rivals in 2024, who was the first to lift the trophy over his head.
“It took me about a week of waking up (to sink in). It didn’t even feel real, man,” he said of the experience. “I didn’t even know I did it. I watched the videos; it looked like as soon as I picked the trophy up, all I screamed out is, ‘We did it. We did it. We did it.’ That almost brought tears to my eyes. I just wanted to do it for us, and wanted us to do it. For that emotion to come out and me be the first one to touch it, it felt special.”
If the honour of hoisting the trophy first wasn’t recognition enough of his importance to the team, the efficiency with which he was signed to a new contract certainly was. General manager Jeremy O’Day moved swiftly to lock up his stalwart right tackle through a negotiation that he described as “very easy,” requiring just a few calls back and forth.
Throughout that process, Hardrick kept close tabs on the rest of the Riders’ pending free agents, none more so than quarterback Trevor Harris. When the 39-year-old pivot locked in his new deal with Saskatchewan, it made the veteran blocker’s decision that much easier.
“I was probably coming back no matter what he did, but I was messaging, calling Trevor. We was talking all the time and just making sure we’re getting the band back together as much as possible,” Hardrick said. “I’m not crazy; I know Trevor makes me look good, so if Trevor can come back, I want to come back. It was a no-brainer for me. I want to continue to play with Trevor.“
While Harris may be the centrepiece that makes the Riders’ core repeat-worthy, Hardrick has the veteran insight on how to make it happen. Even if running it back for another title is the professed goal for anyone inking a new contract like him, he cautions that the Bombers used to set those discussions aside after the parade.
He sees his job as reminding teammates that a repeat can only be achieved one step at a time.
“I know right after the Grey Cup, we all talked about repeating and wanting to do it again. I just want to make sure I’m the guy in the locker room saying, ‘We’ve got to win this day,'” Hardrick explained. “We’ve got to win December. We’ve got to win camp. We’ve got to win these meetings. Let’s not just think you’re going to show up and repeat.”
“There are eight other great teams, 450 some other great players. We’ve got to win this meeting. It’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to win before we get a chance to win another Grey Cup. That’s going to be my biggest thing. I’m pushing that this year. We’ve got to win today. We can’t win a Grey Cup if we don’t win August, if we don’t win playoff games, or get to the playoffs. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Grey Cup isn’t the only title that Hardrick has to defend in 2026, after he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman last season.
The Batesville, Miss., native has long modelled his career after his former Winnipeg teammate Stanley Bryant, who won that award a whopping four times over the course of the Bombers’ run. However, he won’t be disappointed if he fails to repeat in that category, preferring to look at the bigger picture.
“I’ve been in this league 12, 13 years. I’ve seen one guy repeat, and I was on his team. I haven’t seen a lot of guys repeat. It won’t make or break me if I don’t repeat as MOOL,” he said.
“I just want to make sure I’m playing better, getting better, and doing what’s best for this team, and make sure I’m having fun with the fans and the crowd. If I can win another one, that’d be great. Or if anybody in my room can win it, that’d be all well for me. But another ring and another Grey Cup parade in Regina? That works great for me.”
