Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Kerry Joseph predicted where he would go after the Ottawa Renegades disbanded.
"I remember before the dispersal draft, Yo Murphy and I were playing in Saskatchewan and it was freezing. I remember I told him: 'I never want to come to play here.' We both ended up in Saskatchewan. I told him there we go and we spoke this one into existence," Joseph said on the SportsCage.
"I remember getting a call when Ottawa folded, I got the call from Roy Shivers, he talked about wanting to take me in the dispersal draft. I signed a contract extension with Ottawa before they folded and I remember it was a big chunk of change Roy was like: 'I know you got a lot of money.' I said: 'Well, yeah, but that's not my issue. I would love to be there. So if you pick me, I'm ready to roll.' He did and I'm very grateful for Roy Shivers and Danny Barrett. I still stay in touch with both of those guys, Danny more than Roy, but DB was good to me. Coming to Riderville, Jim Hopson and those guys, I appreciate them for bringing me on board."
In the 2005 season, the Riders had a 9-9 record, finished fourth in the West Division and lost to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Semi-Final 30-14. The next year, Saskatchewan had a similar record 9-9, but did not cross over. The Green and White went to the West Final and lost to the B.C Lions 45-18.
"I remember losing to B.C. at the Western Final in 06. I remember watching them with the confetti and them accepting the trophy," Joseph said. "I told Fred Perry that we're coming back here next year, we're gonna win the West Final, we're gonna go ahead on to the Grey Cup and we're gonna win the Grey Cup. It was destined in 2007. We had to go out there and put the work in. And you know what? It was a tight-knit team and we got it done."
The Riders finished second in the West Division in 2007 and went to the Grey Cup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Saskatchewan beat the Bombers 23-19 at SkyDome.
After 2007, Joseph played with two more teams in the CFL, the Toronto Argonauts from 2008 to 2009 and then the Edmonton Football Team from 2010 to 2013. He initially retired in 2013 until the Riders came calling in 2014.
"It wasn't a hard decision, but I did tell my wife that I wanted to retire with the Riders," Joseph said. "When that opportunity presented itself, a good friend I talked to was Kavis Reed, I got his input and thoughts about some things. He encouraged me and said: 'Hey, why don't you take that shot?' I knew George Cortez was there then, so I knew the offence and I said: 'You know what? Let me close this chapter out.' Might not have ended the way I wanted to, but it was great to go back and be a part of Rider Nation again."
The Roughriders signed Joseph at the end of the 2014 season, he started the last two regular season games and one in the playoffs. The Green and White's starting quarterback was Darian Durant, but he was injured during Week 11 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when he tore a tendon in his right elbow. The Riders had a 10-8 record coming into the playoffs and faced off against Edmonton, losing 18-10 in the West Semi-Final.
Joseph's new adventure will be working at the University of Texas under head coach Steve Sarkisian as a special assistant to the head coach on defence. He previously was the quarterbacks coach with the Chicago Bears during the 2024 season.
"I didn't get hired by any NFL teams through the hiring cycle, so I wanted to be coaching somewhere," Joseph said. "I don't want to have to sit out a year. An opportunity came and presented itself at the University of Texas with coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff, I really jumped on board with it. It has a great organization, a great university, and a good football team with some great players. It's a great opportunity for me to stay in the game and work around some great coaches."
