Marcus Sayles is sold on Saskatchewan.
Hence his decision to sign a two-year contract extension with the Roughriders, with whom he was an All-CFL cornerback in 2024.
“I’m just excited to be back with the Riders,” Sayles, 30, said on Thursday from his off-season home in Surrey, B.C. “I’m going on seven years (in the CFL) right now, so hopefully this train can continue going.
“It was important for me to be back there. There was so much love and respect with the Riders. They wanted me back and I wanted to be back as well.
“I want to ultimately help this team win a championship. We had so much fun last year and we all have that same ambition of winning the Grey Cup.”
Sayles earned a Grey Cup ring in 2019 as a second-year member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He spent the next three seasons with the B.C. Lions before joining the Roughriders early in the 2024 campaign.
In 17 games with Saskatchewan, he registered four interceptions — tying his career high from 2022 — and his second pick-six in three-down football.
Along the way, Sayles helped the Corey Mace-coached Roughriders post a second-place finish, earn a home playoff game, and advance to the Western Final.
“We have great coaches,” Sayles said. “Without this coaching staff, we wouldn’t really be able to do anything.
“When you have great coaches and great players and good continuity, it’s all destined for us to be able to reach the Grey Cup.
“It was important for me to be back here with the guys. We all felt that if we could get back together, we could all take our game to the next level.”
Sayles is among 16 pending free agents who have re-signed with Saskatchewan before the market officially opens on Tuesday morning.
The deal was announced on Wednesday — three days after the free-agent negotiation window opened.
During that period, players can agree in principle to deals, but signings cannot be announced until Tuesday. Exceptions are made when a player re-signs, as did Sayles.
“Signing a two-year deal, it feels good to know that the team I’m on wanted me back for as long as they signed me to,” he said. “It’s a little bit of relief, because you don’t really know where the situation is going to lead you.
“It took a little bit of time throughout free agency, because ultimately you want to do your due diligence and do what’s best for your family and what’s best for yourself and your career.
“Ultimately, it led me back to Regina and the Riders. I’m excited to be here and I’m ready to keep going.”
Sayles landed on his feet in Saskatchewan after surprisingly being among the Lions’ final cuts in 2024. He had signed a contract extension with B.C. earlier in the year.
His first start as a Roughrider came just 12 days after he signed with the Green and White. Saskatchewan quickly became a comfortable home.
“It starts with Coach Mace,” Sayles said. “I love his energy. I love what he has done with the team.
“The defence that we run, I feel like it fits my style of play. I feel like I was able to make a lot of plays, even without a camp with the team.”
With that in mind, Sayles looks forward to being part of the Roughriders from Day 1 of training camp in 2025.
“The foundation starts in camp,” he said. “We build things from there.”
The building process includes members of Rider Nation, for whom Sayles has a message.
“I’d like to tell the fans that we’re ready to go,” he said. “You see what Coach Mace and the front office are doing. We’re bringing in guys who expect to win.
“I’m excited to be here. The team’s excited to have a lot of the guys back. We have a lot of continuity going into this next season. If we can ultimately put our best foot forward, we feel that this is our year.
“We have our second-year head coach coming back in with all his ideas and with all the coaching staff.
“We’re set. We’re ready. When we get into camp, it’s ‘go’ time.”
