The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have a new head coach and the same general manager when they take the field in 2024.The decisions were made by Roughriders President and CEO Craig Reynolds. The contracts of Roughriders General Manager Jeremy O’Day and coach Craig Dicksenson were set to expire before next season. The team has missed the playoffs the past two years with records of 6-12.“I want to thank coach Dickenson for everything he has given to the Saskatchewan Roughriders over his 10 years in green and white,” said O’Day in a release.“From his time as special teams co-ordinator to his five seasons as a head coach, he gave all he had to the team and did it with kindness and respect."O'Day said he appreciates "his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best moving forward.”Meanwhile O’Day had his presence renewed with a three-year contract. In a press conference, O’Day said he found out on Sunday he would return as GM and on Monday that Dickenson would not. Whoever he hires as coach will be given full latitude to hire the coaching staff of his choice.As it was in 2022, the 2023 Roughrider season ended with seven straight losses, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory not only in games, but in the season itself. The team forfeited the third and final playoff spot in Western Canada to the Calgary Stampeders. The team dropped the lead at the end of its final regular season game with a 29-26 defeat at home against Toronto.“At the end of the day, it’s all on me,” said Dickenson. “Like I said a month ago, it was a different team than last season, but we didn’t win any more games."He said they "felt like the formula was to get a little better, character wise, and I felt we did.”The 52-year-old from Great Falls, MT, said efforts to turn the team around after last year’s disappointment fell short.“We tried to put a little more emphasis on the offensive line, which I felt like we did, but it didn’t translate into wins," he said. "So, at the end of the day, this season was a failure." Dickenson coached the Roughriders to a 13-5 record in 2019 and a 9-5 record in 2021. He served on the coaching staffs of Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal, winning Grey Cups with Calgary in 2008 and Edmonton in 2015.O’Day began his playing career with the Roughriders in 1999 and won a Grey Cup in 2007. He joined the football operations staff in 2011 and was part of the 2013 Grey Cup winning team.Reynolds was announced as the president and CEO in 2014 and began that role six months later. Reynolds, who was raised in Foam Lake, SK, first joined the club in 2009 when he became chief financial officer.“Jeremy has an excellent track record of identifying and bringing in quality talent to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with many players having gone on to have successful seasons, including two 1,000-yard receivers in 2023,” he said. “I am confident in his ability to find the next great head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and to put together a team Rider Nation can be proud of.”Reynolds said he was optimistic about 2024.“I think it can be turned around quickly," he said. "I think we have a talented roster and have a lot of confidence people will want to work with Jeremy and want to work for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”
