The Saskatchewan Roughriders have officially signed American return specialist James Letcher Jr. The pending free agent was released by the Montreal Alouettes on Tuesday.
3DownNation insider Justin Dunk reported on Sunday Letcher Jr. agreed to terms on a contract with the Riders.
The five-foot-seven, 180-pound speedster played nine regular-season games in 2025 due to injuries and was scratched for the 112th Grey Cup. He returned 39 punts for 428 yards, 19 kickoffs for 476 yards, and caught five passes for 42 yards and one touchdown.
The 26-year-old was Montreal’s nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2024 after recording 1,112 kickoff return yards and 924 punt return yards. He led the league in combined return yards and scored two touchdowns — one on a punt return and one on a missed field goal return.
The Kansas City, Kansas native joined the Alouettes as a rookie in 2023 and played four games in place of an injured Chandler Worthy. He also recorded four receptions for 21 yards and three carries for 25 yards with Montreal.
Letcher Jr. played collegiately at Washburn University, an NCAA Division II program located in Topeka, Kan. He recorded 228 catches for 2,992 yards with 29 touchdowns in 48 games. He also returned 68 kickoffs for 1,678 yards and three touchdowns, 49 punts for 611 yards and two scores, and carried the football 60 times for 366 yards with two scores.
Saskatchewan 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.
