Saskatchewan Roughriders sign All-Big 12 receiver Malik Knowles

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American receiver Malik Knowles.

The six-foot-two, 196-pound target signed with the Minnesota Vikings after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on the injured reserve list.

The 25-year-old was cut by Minnesota at the conclusion of training camp in 2024 and had subsequent stints with the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, though he didn’t see any regular-season action with either team.

The native of Lynwood, Calif. played collegiately at Kansas State University where he caught 127 passes for 1,867 yards, rushed 36 times for 440 yards, returned 61 kickoffs for 1,691 yards, and scored 21 total touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2021 and second-team All-Big 12 in 2022.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders finished first in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 12-6 record, finishing first in the West Division for the first time since 2019. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the team’s first championship in 12 years. Trevor Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

The Roughriders ranked second in net offence, second in net defence, and tied for third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was A.J. Ouellette with 1,222 yards, leading receiver was KeeSean Johnson with 1,159 yards, and 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.