AJ Ouellette ready to rock with Roughriders

AJ Ouellette is already feeling at home in Saskatchewan.

“(It’s) just the greetings I have got from everyone in the organization and even fans. My flight from Toronto to here, I already had fans reaching out to me and talking to me and saying they were excited for me to get to the city,” the 28-year-old running back said Wednesday. “They were shocked I was already flying in.”

As the newest member of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders met with media for the first time, a prop was brought up to the table he was sitting at: A replica of the superhero Thor’s hammer Mjollnir.

AJ Ouellette — and Thor’s hammer — met with the media on Wednesday. Ouellette is the crown jewel of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ free-agent class of 2024. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

Ouellette has leaned into the Thor-like persona on his social media networks and used the hammer during a touchdown celebration as a member of the Toronto Argonauts against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 4 last season.

“Everybody wants to be a superhero, right?” he said. “I have had a long line of wanting to be The Hulk, wanting to be Captain America and wanting to be all these superheroes.

“Someone called me Thor one day and I thought, ‘You know what? Thor is a great superhero to try to be.’ My nephew bought me a Thor hammer from Toys R Us and we were going to Hamilton for a game. I was like, ‘You can’t beat having a hammer in The Hammer,’ so I just brought it for a sideline gig.

“There was some chirping going on during the game — some stuff was said to my O-linemen that I didn’t appreciate. We had the (game-)sealing touchdown there and our punter, John Haggerty, had the hammer waiting and I said, ‘Yeah, this is coming on the field.’ The CFL loved it and the fans loved it. That’s how the hammer came to life.”

While Ouellette came to prominence in the league as well as winning a Grey Cup in 2022 with the Argos, the Covington, Ohio product decided to trade in the double blue for green and white when the negotiation window opened.

A big part of him coming to Saskatchewan is another person who made the same change: Former Argos defensive co-ordinator and new Riders head coach Corey Mace.

“He has been amazing. He was probably the leading cause of my decision,” Ouellette said. “(It’s) just the way he coaches and leads men. (He’s) a coach and a father and a husband that a guy in my situation can look up to.”

Another big part of coming to Saskatchewan is how he views the football culture in the province. He got to experience it in 2022 at the Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium and then in one game here last season.

“During my time here, even just in the hotel, the Sask. fans who are just fans of football (have impressed me),” Ouellette said. “I just want football fans. I’m a football player. I’m not really a running back. I’m just here to play the game and do what I have to (do) to win.

“The community and how they appreciate the game of football and the way it should be played is a big reason why I am here.”

It’s not just a new jersey colour for Ouellette, but also a new number on the back of it. He wore No. 34 in Toronto, but that number has been retired in Saskatchewan in honour of the illustrious career of the late George Reed.

“I kind of knew of George from last year and the legend that he was through the league and how great he was in the community and how much the community and the league respected him. Now they have awards named after him,” Ouellette said. “I knew that number was off limits even before having a talk with Coach Mace here.”

Ouellette will wear No. 45 – the number he wore as a member of the Ohio University Bobcats.

In his CFL career, Ouellette has rushed for 1,782 yards and 10 touchdowns in 37 games. His breakout came last year, when he rushed for 1,009 yards and eight scores.

“(It’s) just a toughness – he’s a downhill runner and very physical,” said Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day. “As a player, he’s got great work ethic … (It’s also) his grittiness, his toughness and I felt like we needed to improve running the ball.”

While training camp isn’t until May, Ouellette already can’t wait to take the field with his new teammates.

“I’ve had a few calls with (quarterback) Trevor (Harris) already and just the way he approaches learning the game (is impressive),” Ouellette said. “It’s going to be a new system for him. (I like) how he wants to pick my brain and already basically said we live an hour apart. I’m driving to his place (and) he’s driving to my place to train.”

O’Day feels good about start of free agency

After a second straight 6-12 season, O’Day knew the Riders would have to be busy in free agency.

“You have positions where you want to improve or make change. I know a lot of people say that trying to improve your team, that’s obviously the objective but in some cases it’s to try and make change,” O’Day said. “We went into it with some specific positions we wanted to target and within those positions there were certain players we wanted to target.

“We felt good with where we ended up at.”

While Tuesday was when all of the agreements became official, O’Day says the negotiation week is where a lot of the work takes place.

“The day the signing period actually opens is really just sending out contracts and waiting for them to come back,” O’Day said. “There is a little bit of a dead period there before you get into the signing period where you have to kind of wait.

“A lot of the heavy lifting was done in that window.”

He said the Riders’ staff is always working to improve the team but with the salary cap, a team just can’t keep spending or adding players.

“I wouldn’t expect much (in terms of signings) more but I guess you never know,” O’Day said.

The latest moves

A few more members of the 2023 Riders won’t be back.

Offensive lineman Evan Johnson has signed with Hamilton. The Regina product played in 35 games for the Riders over the past two seasons.

Quarterback Jake Dolegala has also found a new home. The pivot has agreed to a deal with the B.C. Lions.

Running back Jamal Morrow was set to sign with the Calgary Stampeders but that may have hit a roadblock. TSN’s Farhan Lalji is reporting there were questions surrounding Morrow’s medical.

It does not appear that RB Jamal Morrow will be signing with #Stampeders. There are questions surrounding his medical. #CFLFA @CFLonTSN pic.twitter.com/Jt2IvjHEPC

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) February 14, 2024