Brett Lauther was still having trouble believing where he was on Thursday.
Barely 24 hours after being reacquired Saskatchewan Roughriders, the longtime kicker was in Regina – a place he never envisioned being again, at least wearing green and white, considering how he left.
“It’s crazy to be sitting here after a few months ago and everything,” Lauther told reporters. “Being back here right now, it’s a lot. I don’t even feel like this is real.”
Lauther’s latest stint with the Riders will have to wait a bit.
After a hectic travel day that saw Lauther touch down in Regina just before midnight, Riders coach Corey Mace said it’s in everyone’s best interests to delay his first game back. Dawson Hodge will continue to handle the kicking duties for Friday’s contest against the Calgary Stampeders.
Though Lauther said he feels he can step right in and start booting field goals, the decision to keep him out of the lineup allows him gets his bearings after a “surreal” trade he never saw coming.
The Riders need Lauther at his best for the last three games of the season – after the Calgary contest – and then the playoffs. They brought him in to firm up what was a position of inconsistency under Alex Hale before they turned to fellow rookie Hodge for the last two games.
Lauther is honoured to be tasked with the responsibility.
“I’ve always wanted to be here,” he said. “No disrespect to anywhere else. It’s just easier for me and my family. There were a lot of meaningful games here, a lot of stuff in the past, but I can’t think about those things. Just looking forward, trying to get a shot and play well for a few games and then try to go on a run with these guys.”
The 35-year-old native of Truro, N.S., was one of the most accomplished kickers in franchise history in his last tour of duty from 2018 until last season.
His name can be found high on lists all over the team’s record book. He’s third in most points scored (1,110) and field goals made (295) behind Riders greats Dave Ridgway and Paul McCallum. His 81.9 percent success rate with the team ranks first among those with 100 career attempts. Only Ridgway and Christopher Milo have a longer consecutive make streak than Lauther’s best of 23 spread across the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Lauther has certainly had lots of good moments.
Last season, however, was the worst statistical season of his career as he connected on just 39 of 54 attempts (72.2 percent) amid a back injury. He missed one of his two tries in the Grey Cup, too.
All that led to the Riders releasing him in February. Lauther doesn’t hold that against Mace or Riders GM Jeremy O’Day one bit.
“There are probably a lot of opportunities to hold ill will or things like that, but I just don’t think that’s a great way to go through life,” he said. “They gave me a shot multiple times here. They stuck with me for probably a lot longer than they should have a few different times.”
It turns out the Riders probably should have stuck with Lauther just a little bit longer.
Lauther signed with the Ottawa Redblacks in the offseason after his release and has returned to being one of the best kickers in the CFL. He’s 32-for-34 on field-goal tries this season and has made nine of his 11 attempts from 40 yards or more, including all three from 50-plus yards.
Perhaps the Riders could have saved themselves the fifth-round draft pick they sent to Ottawa had they just kept him around and given him a chance to get back to his old self.
“I’m just trying to kick the ball where it’s supposed to go,” Lauther said. “I tried to do the same thing the last few years. Sometimes it’s worked out better than others. Being healthy this year has been really good. It was really difficult last year. My back has felt great all year.”
Lauther can’t wait to get another crack at things and resume to his old-new job, even though it means he’ll miss the Halloween he was starting to plan with his daughter.
He’s certainly familiar with his surroundings in Saskatchewan, but a lot has changed, too.
He’ll have a new long snapper in Mike Benson. He’ll have a new holder in Oscar Chapman, whom he counts as perhaps the best at his craft in the CFL.
He also might have a new number. No. 12 currently belongs to defensive back Malcolm Bell. Lauther said he’s in the negotiation phase to see if he can land the digits.
That would be the cherry on top of his return. But let’s just say there are more important things on his mind.
“I don’t want to say it’s the least of my worries,” Lauther said, “but I’m definitely just more focused on in coming here and trying to put the ball between the uprights.”
