Corey Mace savours his role with the Riders

Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace on winning the Grey Cup, rumours Toronto is interested in hiring him and looking ahead to next season.

When it comes to his coaching future, Corey Mace doesn’t leave any room for doubt.

Recent rumours suggested that the Toronto Argonauts were interested in talking with Mace about their vacant head coach position. Appearing Friday on CTV Your Morning Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach emphasized that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“This is the best job for our sport in the country, so they’re going to have to kick me out,” Mace said with a laugh.

Mace, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Riders on Oct. 14 that runs through the 2028 CFL season, has a 21-14-1 record as head coach in Saskatchewan.

After the Riders finished first in the West Division in 2025 with a 12-6 record, they collected the fifth Grey Cup championship in franchise history on Nov. 16 with a 25-17 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.

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In a media conference on Nov. 25, Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day expressed confidence that Mace wasn’t going anywhere.

“[The Argonauts] didn’t call. No one asked for permission, so I’m not quite sure where that came from, but when we did hear about it, Corey did tell us that he’s not interested in going anywhere — but they did not reach out to us for permission,” O’Day said.

The 2025 Grey Cup title was the fourth of Mace’s career. He won once as a player (2014, Calgary Stampeders), once as a defensive line coach (2018, Stampeders), once as a defensive coordinator (2022, Toronto Argonauts), and once as a head coach (2025, Riders).

Mace said that while each championship was unique, this year’s title holds a special position for him

“That’s probably the best way to put it, they’re unique in their own ways. Winning as a player for your first time, that was an emotional one. Now as a head coach, this is probably the best one, just being able to see how important it is to everybody. What an experience,” said Mace.

While Mace and the organization are still basking in the glow of the championship victory, work has already begun for the 2026 campaign.

“We’ve already had some meetings and stuff about plan of attack for these next few weeks, what it’ll look like and getting the calendar ready for the offseason for everybody. It doesn’t stop but there’s plenty of time for us to try to let it soak in,” said Mace. “But as coaches and GMs, I think what makes us maybe a little crazy is that we’re always trying to do it again. How can we continue to stay a winner? It is what it is, but we love what we do.”