Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Kian Schaffer-Baker wasn’t about to picture himself in another CFL jersey.
On Monday, the 27-year-old receiver — who was a pending free agent heading into the off-season — signed a two-year contract extension with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, which will keep him with the club through the 2027 season.
“It’s truly a blessing,” said Schaffer-Baker. “I’ve just got to thank God, thank Jesus Christ, my family and biggest yet Rider Nation.
“This coaching staff and the head office believing in me and just giving me another opportunity. It’s time to just keep running with it.”
Even though the Mississauga, Ont. product would have likely received some intriguing offers from other CFL teams had he gone to free agency, which opens Feb. 10, he decided staying in Saskatchewan made the most sense.
“It’s always a tough process,” he said. “But you’ve just got to learn to just keep faith and control the things you can control.
“There’s only one place I wanted to be and that was in Saskatchewan.
“It’s become home ever since the first day I got here; them believing in me, just a small town kid from Mississauga.
“They’ve welcomed me with open arms and I’m just forever grateful for what they provided for me. And I know this ain’t the end of the story. This is still just the beginning.”
After being drafted by Saskatchewan in the fourth round of the 2020 CFL draft, Schaffer-Baker played 11 games in his rookie season in 2021 after the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Since then, in 57 career games, the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder has made 220 receptions for 2,865 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Last season, after suffering a foot injury in Week 1, he missed the next 13 games before returning to action in Week 18. In the playoffs, he caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the West final against the B.C. Lions before notching three catches for 27 yards in Saskatchewan’s Grey Cup win over the Montreal Alouettes.
“It’s an amazing feeling just to know that you’ve got another opportunity to continue to prove yourself,” said Schaffer-Baker, who also serves as a player ambassador for the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation. “That’s all we’re asked to do each and every single day; just prove ourselves, love on each other, and there’s no better group to do that with.”
Since hoisting the trophy over his head in November, Schaffer-Baker — a fan favourite in Rider Nation — has also been enjoying the celebrations across the province giving back to the fans who support the team.
“That’s been the dream from the first day you walk in here,” said Schaffer-Baker. “It’s been a long wait, and it’s something that the whole province deserves.
“And I believe it’s still our time, and we’re going to keep rolling with this thing.”
And when next season begins, although it’s going to be a new year, the expectation remains the same.
“We’re not really living on the high of winning last year; we’re already focused on what’s next ahead of us,” said Schaffer-Baker. “And I don’t even think it’s going to be really brought up too much more after that, because that’s the same thing we did during the season; we just didn’t even talk about the Grey Cup each and every single week, it was going 1-0.
“That’s the only thing we cared about. And I think we take that same process each and every single day, just going 1-0.”
The same goes for himself personally. Even though he hasn’t eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his first five CFL seasons, with 2022 being his best year with 960 yards, the Canadian receiver certainly has the ability increase his career totals.
“You’ve always got to prove yourself each and every single day,” said Schaffer-Baker. “And again, I’m grateful for this opportunity to again go out there and prove myself.”
And for a fourth straight year, he’ll be catching balls from quarterback Trevor Harris and playing alongside fellow Canadian receiver Samuel Emilus, two other big-name players Saskatchewan re-signed this off-season in their quest to repeat as champions.
“That’s what it’s all about,” said Schaffer-Baker. “We’ve already got a lot of the big household names and we did such a phenomenal job last year just bringing in the same core.
“I already know that the coaching staff has the perfect plan to just get the job done again. I have all trust and faith in them that they’re going to bring in the right people and just got to keep trusting it.
“The biggest thing in this locker room is the continuity and how we mesh together. What we had last year was so special, but that’s in the past.
“We can’t ever go back and live that moment. We can watch all the videos we want, but it’s about what we do today and continue to build that continuity.
“And I think last year was just the first start for us. Obviously, a year before that, a lot of our coaching staff just got their first go with things, and then last year was a crazy stepping stone for us.
“When you’re at the top of one mountain, you’re at the bottom of another. So it’s time to just keep climbing.”
