Riders believe in O’Day despite .500 record in five years

Changes are on the way for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but Jeremy O’Day will remain at the helm.

The organization announced Monday that despite back-to-back six-win campaigns — in which the team lost its last seven games both times –O’Day had been signed to a three-year contract extension to remain the team’s vice-president of football operations and general manager.

“It means a lot. I’ve been with this team for a long time and didn’t like the thought of leaving with the situation that we’re in right now,” O’Day said during a media conference Monday.

“The confidence they’re showing in me as a general manager means a ton. That’s all you can ask for in any job – (to) have support from your leadership – and the fact they believe in me and that I’m going to be a part of turning this around, it means the world to me.

“It’s something I don’t take for granted and motivates me. I think personally when we have seasons like this, that’s what bothers me more than anything – how it affects the people around me, not just my own family but the people that work in our building.”

O’Day will be entering his 26th season with the Roughriders in 2024 and his sixth in his current role.

He began his Roughriders career as a player in 1999 and joined the football operations staff in 2011. He was promoted to his GM role in January of 2019 after Chris Jones’ departure to the NFL.

O’Day has won two Grey Cups in Saskatchewan — one as a player in 2007 and one as assistant GM in 2013.

Riders president-CEO Craig Reynolds said he brought back O’Day due to the respect the general manager has around the league, and Reynolds believes O’Day has done a good job when it has come to bringing in talent to the team.

“I think you look at his draft record — it’s outstanding. You look at some of his early picks (like) Sam Emilus, Lake Korte-Moore and Jaxon Ford all contributing. Then you look at some late-round steals like Jayden Dalke and Kian Schaffer-Baker,” Reynolds said.

“I think how he executed in free agency last year was outstanding getting Trevor Harris, Shawn Bane Jr., Peter Godber and Philip Blake. I think he did excellent work there.

“I think he and his team do a great job of player recruitment.”

While Reynolds has confidence in O’Day, the team hasn’t flourished under the general manager. During his tenure, the team has a 34-34-0 regular-season record and has missed the playoffs for two straight seasons.

One issue that has plagued the team recently has been the play of the offensive line, with his critics indicating O’Day hasn’t done enough to bring in the talent needed for the unit to be successful.

In 2018 – the year before O’Day took over the GM chair – Saskatchewan gave up a league-low 27 sacks. The following year, with O’Day at the helm, Saskatchewan QBs were sacked 37 times.

In 2022, the team gave up an astounding 77 sacks, by far the most in the CFL. There was improvement in 2023, but Saskatchewan’s 54 sacks allowed were third-most in the CFL.

The offensive tackle position was a bit of a revolving door throughout the first part of the ’23 season, with Jerald Hawkins, Jordan Tucker and Colin Kelly all suffering serious injuries at points in the season.

But every team deals with injuries and it’s ultimately up to the general manager to find productive replacements, which some believe O’Day fell short of doing.

Free agency was touted as a strength by Reynolds for O’Day but there have been mixed results.

While O’Day has hit big with signings like linebackers Larry Dean and Darnell Sankey, quarterback Cody Fajardo, Bane Jr. and defensive end A.C. Leonard. However, Sankey (XFL and then returned to the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes), Fajardo (Montreal) and Leonard (Edmonton) are no longer in Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, over the years, the team has seen Willie Jefferson (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and Cam Judge (Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders) leave and they’re now flourishing with their new teams.

While O’Day made a splash this past off-season in the market, a number of the team’s big signings this past period — Harris, Godber, Blake and slotback Jake Wieneke — all missed time due to injury. Wieneke was unable to crack the starting lineup to end the season.

While no one can fault O’Day at the time for trading Zach Collaros and replacing him with Fajardo — who emerged as the West Division’s most outstanding player in 2019 — both quarterbacks have moved on and found success. Collaros is a two-time Grey Cup winner, and Fajardo and former Riders offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas led the Alouettes to a home playoff game this season.

O’Day has found some good players, including trading for returner Mario Alford and signing Bane Jr., who reached 1,000 receiving yards this past season.

Emilus, Schaffer-Baker and Dalke have been draft picks that have panned out for the Riders. But a number of draft picks haven’t lived up to the high expectations, including defensive back Nelson Lokombo – who has been unable to become a mainstay on the main roster – and lineman Mattland Riley, who elected to retire from the CFL after dressing for just one game.

While O’Day was brought back, he will do so with a new coach on the bench. He alerted Craig Dickenson, who was the Riders’ head coach the past five years, would not be extended a new contract offer.

“I think it can be turned around quickly. I think we have a very talented roster first and foremost. I think we will have a new voice and a new head coach. I have a lot of confidence a lot of people will want to work with Jeremy and be the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders,” Reynolds said. “I have every confidence in Jeremy that he is going to select a very good head coach.”