Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders stayed busy on the opening day of free agency, inking American offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick to a two-year contract.
TSN’s Farhan Lalji first reported the signing on Feb. 5.
Hardrick (six-foot-five, 317 pounds) joins the Roughriders coming off a stellar 2023 season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that saw him named the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and a CFL All-Star.
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The Mississippi native helped his team rank first in rushing yards (139.1 per game) and contributed to Brady Oliveira becoming the league’s leading rusher (1,534 yards). Winnipeg’s 33 sacks allowed was tied for second-best in the CFL and the offence led the league in points (33.0 per game) and net offence (414.7 yards per game). Hardrick played in all 18 games last season as well as the West Final and the 110th Grey Cup.
A stalwart on the Bombers’ offensive line, Hardrick has appeared in 103 regular-season games since signing in 2016. He is a three-time divisional All-Star (2017, 2021, 2023), a two-time CFL All-Star (2021, 2023) and a two-time Grey Cup Champion (2019, 2021). In addition, he was named to the CFL Players’ Association’s All-Star team in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to landing with the Bombers, the 33-year-old played in 12 games with the BC Lions in 2014 and eight games with the Riders in 2015. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft and played in three preseason games. He also spent time on the New Orleans Saints’ practice roster in 2013.
Collegiately, Hardrick attended Fort Scott Community College before transferring to Nebraska.
Hardrick’s move to Saskatchewan marks the end of a very impressive tenure in Winnipeg and helps bolster a Riders’ offensive line that allowed 54 sacks, the third-highest total in the league, in 2023.
