There may be no such thing as a sure thing, but newly signed Saskatchewan Roughriders' quarterback Tommy Stevens is pretty close.
The Riders officially signed the 28-year-old quarterback hours after the Canadian Football League’s free-agent signing period opened.
Prior to joining Saskatchewan, Stevens spent three seasons in Calgary and was primarily deployed as the Stampeders short-yardage quarterback. In 2024, the six-foot-four, 245-pound pivot converted 30-of-31 third-and-short situations.
However, Stevens doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as a short-yardage QB. The Indiana native admitted he wants to be known for his arm as much as he is for his feet.
“I haven't played a lot of quarterback in this league, I get it, no starts. I'm not going to sit here and act like some prolific passer. There are a lot of people out there who don't think I can throw the ball -- just go watch the college tape," Stevens said on The SportsCage.
Stevens attempted 20 passes in 52 games during his three years in Calgary. Prior to NFL stops in New Orleans, Carolina, and New York, Stevens threw for 1,155 yards with Mississippi State in a 2019 season that was limited to just nine games due to injury.
“I separated my throwing shoulder in our second game of the year and spent a lot of time battling back from that. So I didn't exactly have the year that I thought that I was capable of having," Stevens explained.
Now, with the Roughriders, Stevens is excited to prove that he can be a quarterback in the CFL.
“To say that I can't throw the ball -- people just aren't watching. The thing that I'm excited the most about is to prove some people right that do believe in me as a passer and then add that to the things that I've been able to do on the ground," he said.
Stevens is excited to join a quarterback room in Saskatchewan that includes Trevor Harris, his former teammate Jake Maier and newcomer Michael Hiers.
“Somebody posted a projected depth chart, looking at it, I'm like: This is a good football team,'" Stevens said. "We've got high expectations, but nothing's going to be given to us. It's all about getting to work, building continuity within each other and taking it one week at a time.”
Stevens joins his new teammates at training camp in May.
