Photo courtesy: Thomas Skrlj/CFL.
Montreal Alouettes’ head coach Jason Maas is among the fieriest competitors in the CFL, but if the 49-year-old is drawing added motivation from a Grey Cup matchup against his former team, he isn’t letting anyone know about it.
Maas served as the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders for two seasons, but was fired from his role after a seven-game losing streak caused the team to miss the playoffs in 2022. Three years later, he has a chance to exact revenge on the organization on the CFL’s biggest stage, but downplayed the significance of that dynamic.
“I guess everybody could look at that as human nature — you look for motivation, no matter where it comes from. I’m long past that,” Maas said on Tuesday. “I found a home, very appreciative of the home where I currently am, and thankful for the people I work with every single day. I have a smile on my face every day. Sometimes things happen for reasons, and if this was something I had to go through to land where I have, I’m very grateful and thankful for it. That’s all I’ll really say about it.”
Maas helped the Riders reach the West Final in 2021, earning himself a two-year contract extension with the team. Just a year later, he became the scapegoat for their late-season collapse after the offence finished seventh in points and ninth in net yards. Maas was fired, and his starting quarterback, Cody Fajardo, was allowed to walk in free agency.
The pair were promptly picked up by a Montreal Alouettes team mired in ownership dysfunction and made Rider Nation instantly jealous, combining to turn that organization around and win a Grey Cup title in 2023. Saskatchewan lost seven straight to miss the playoffs for the second season in a row, and head coach Craig Dickenson was ultimately fired to usher in a new era.
Maas has continued his success with Montreal, posting the best regular-season record in the CFL last season and earning a second Grey Cup berth this year with a different quarterback at the helm. He now faces the Riders, who have experienced their own resurgence since hiring up-and-comer Corey Mace as their head coach ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Asked what Mace has brought to Saskatchewan that was missing during his time with the franchise, Maas focused on a renewed team culture.
“I’m not there now, but what I witnessed and what I see is a whole bunch of guys that play extremely hard for that man,” he said. “The proof is in the pudding watching them play, and how they play is an emulation of how he played. I think he’s brought a lot, probably more than I know, because I’m not in there every day to see it. I just see it from the outside, and I’m super impressed by it. He’s provided a team, every single day, that has belief in themselves and that they can win every game.”
Regardless of the result this week, it appears that all parties benefited from Maas’ unceremonious departure. The Beaver Dam, Wisc., native used it as a springboard to build a perennial contender in La Belle Province, while it was a necessary stepping stone for Saskatchewan to find its coach of the future.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (13-6) and Montreal Alouettes (12-8) will meet in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday, November 16, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST.
The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of two degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN, CTV, and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally.
