QB issues loom over Riders-Lions game with Harris out, Rourke questionable

REGINA - The CFL is only in its fourth week of the regular season but starting quarterbacks are having issues staying in the lineup.

Of the 1,310 offensive plays in the first three weeks of the regular season, No. 1 quarterbacks have been available for only 69 per cent of the snaps. Those numbers won’t improve Friday when the Saskatchewan hosts B.C., with Riders starter Trevor Harris ruled out and Lions starter Nathan Rourke a game-time decision.

Harris is in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head from Jordan Williams in the first quarter of the 39-32 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on June 20. Despite the hit, Harris stayed in the game and completed 13 of 17 passes for 234 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception.

Rourke suffered an oblique injury in the fourth quarter of a 34-20 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 12. He shared first team reps on Tuesday and Wednesday with Jeremiah Masoli but didn’t take any snaps on Thursday.

After missing the first two practices of the week with a head/illness” designation, Harris was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. The Riders felt obligated to put Harris into concussion protocol while he was still impacted by the illness/"

"Once we did declare to put him into protocol, there's certain steps you have to take, and it just didn't match up time wise," said Riders head coach Corey Mace.

"Also, let's be smart. This week you have Jake Maier (stepping in as starter) and then there’s a bye week coming up. You take all that into account and that was really what led to the decision.

“Ultimately, Trevor's our starting quarterback. If the timeline had matched up, and all the boxes were checked and Trevor obviously felt comfortable, we would green lit that.”

Rourke missed B.C.’s 27-14 defeat to Winnipeg on June 21 with Masoli handing the starting quarterback duties. Rourke said he has prepared to play this week but wants to make sure he’s physically capable of contributing.

“Yes. I was hoping to play last week too. I think at the end of the day, you’ve got to make a decision based on what's best for the team. Me trying to go out there and Brett Favre-it sometimes isn't what's best for the team,” said Rourke. “We've got a very capable quarterback in Jeremiah, and I want to make sure that I'm the best option if I'm going to put myself through that.”

Maier spent four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, starting 45 games. He passed for 11,685 yards and 60 touchdowns with 39 interceptions. He was dealt to the Riders in the off-season for an eighth-round pick in the 2025 CFL draft.

Maier has a history with Riders offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller, who spent a decade on the Stampeders coaching staff before joining Saskatchewan in 2024. When in Calgary, Mueller worked closely with the quarterbacks and running backs.

Given his years working in Mueller’s offensive scheme, Maier was asked if he knows the Riders offence better than Harris.

“Obviously, the terminology over the years is pretty consistent. And I've been fortunate enough at a young age to play a lot of games and take a lot of snaps in this offence. So to say whether I know more or no less, I don't know,” said Maier, who signed a one-year contract extension with the Riders in January. “I mean Trevor masters any offence he's in, and that's what I strive to do, too. I would say that, fortunately for me, I have a lot of experience in the system and there's no surprises.”

With Maier taking over the controls from Harris this week, Mace is confident that Mueller won’t have to make any changes to Saskatchewan’s play calling.

“I think the plan is the plan. We’ve got full confidence to be able to execute with Jake being back there. He’s had enough reps in this league, faced a lot of teams, a lot of players, a lot of defensive play callers so he’s pretty familiar with stuff. You don't really have to limit too much or change too much when you’ve got a veteran quarterback,” said Mace.

B.C. LIONS (1-2-0) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (3-0-0)

Saturday at Mosaic Stadium

NOBODY’S STOPPING STEVENS: Riders quarterback Tommy Stevens has come into short yardage situations 11 times in the first three games and converted 10 into first downs. The only play he did not convert had multiple penalties. Stevens has collected 50 per cent of Saskatchewan’s 20 rushing first downs.

HOT START FOR HENDRIX: DeWayne Hendrix, who joined the Lions on the off-season after being released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, is off to a fast start for the Lions with three sacks in his first three games.

A TALE OF TWO KICKERS: B.C.’s Sean Whyte has made his last 18 field goal attempts following a two-for-two effort against Winnipeg last week. He ranks No. 1 in CFL history with an 88.5 per cent success rate on 591 career attempts. Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther has struggled so far this season, making just four of eight field goal attempts. This comes on the heels of a string of 22 consecutive field goals that ended the 2024 season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.