Following a championship season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, quarterback Jake Maier faces significant decisions about his professional football future. The 28-year-old California native becomes a free agent after contributing to the team's 2025 Grey Cup victory as Trevor Harris's backup.
Uncertain Future for Veteran Quarterback
Maier, who started two games during the 2025 season while dressing for all 18 regular-season contests, finds himself at a career crossroads. The pending free agent completed 56 of 87 passes for 617 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions during his limited playing time. His performance included one victory in Week 4 and a loss in Week 20.
"After the last few years, my perspective a little bit has changed in terms of what my value system is, and what I feel like is important for not just my career, but just athletes in general," Maier reflected during postseason discussions about his future.
Weighing Options and Priorities
The quarterback emphasized that his decision-making process will heavily consider the work environment and coaching staff support. Maier specifically mentioned the positive atmosphere within the Roughriders organization as a significant factor in his evaluation.
"I'm just a real big believer now in surrounding yourself with people that you can align with and enjoy showing up to work with on a daily basis," Maier stated. "Being around coaching staff that believes in you and wants to make sure that they're getting the most out of you and challenging you at the same time."
Championship Experience Shapes Perspective
Maier's first season with Saskatchewan after being acquired from Calgary in December 2024 culminated in his first Grey Cup championship. This experience provided him with a new perspective on team success versus individual playing time.
"I think being a part of something like this is more special because it's bigger than you," Maier explained about winning the championship. "I felt like I got the opportunity to contribute as well. I got to be in meeting rooms every day and try to help guys out and help Trevor and help offensive coordinator Marc Mueller."
The quarterback acknowledged learning valuable lessons from observing veteran starter Trevor Harris throughout the season. "I feel like I got better during the year, even from not physically being out in the field. Just from learning from Trevor and how he preps and how he does all this stuff," Maier noted.
Potential Return as Backup Role
While Maier started 45 games for the Calgary Stampeders between 2021-2024 and led them to playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023, he appears open to returning to Saskatchewan in a backup capacity if Harris remains with the team.
"We have such a great work environment here," Maier emphasized. "I view that as if not the most important, one of the most important things that I am going to seek out at every year in my career, wherever this takes me."
As the offseason progresses, Maier plans to exercise patience in determining his next career move. "There's stuff I'll implement that I took from this season, no doubt," he said. "And then you just kind of play the patient game in terms of what's going to happen."
The Roughriders organization now faces important decisions about their quarterback roster as they prepare to defend their Grey Cup title in the 2026 CFL season.
