Riders pursued Henry Burris before signing Drew Tate: sources

Drew Tate wasn’t the only veteran quarterback the Saskatchewan Roughriders reached out to as they looked for an insurance policy for injured starter Zach Collaros.

Per CFL sources, the Riders reached out to retired pivot Henry Burris before inking a deal with Tate.

The 43-year-old Burris retired in January of 2017 shortly after winning a championship with the Ottawa Redblacks. He won three Grey Cups (1998 and 2008 with Calgary were the others) and two outstanding player awards (2010, 2015). He’s third in all-time in CFL passing yards (63,227) and touchdown passes (374).

Since his retirement, Burris has been doing TV work as a member of the TSN panel and as a co-host on CTV Morning Live.

Instead, the Riders signed the 33-year-old Tate, who appeared in 18 games for Ottawa last season as the backup to Trevor Harris, making one start. The Redblacks released Tate in February.

Tate is expected to be on the game day roster against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in the West semi-final against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as starting quarterback Zach Collaros is reportedly out. 

Burris started his career with Saskatchewan but ultimately became a target in Riderville after he left for the Stampeders in free agency after the 2004 season and the crowd at old Mosaic stadium would often chant his name derisively – “Hennnnnrrrryyyy” – during games.