'It's a great day to be a Rider': Regina-born Zack Evans gets 4-year contract with hometown team
Defensive lineman returned to Roughriders in early 2018 after 4 years with Ottawa
It's a little bit of job security, and a little bit of a morale boost for Regina. The Roughriders have signed a new contract with Regina-born Zack Evans after picking him up this past season.
Evans is a defensive lineman who started his CFL career with the green and white before, he joked, he was "made to leave" to play with the Ottawa Redblacks for four years.
He has already earned a Grey Cup with both teams, and was eager to put an end to free agency this time around.
"It's good for the heart just to know I'm going to stay here, I'm going to put my roots down, I'm going to live here. There's no more moving back and forth, none of that," he said.
"I'm ecstatic, I'm very happy. It's a great day to be a Rider."
Evans said it was easy on both sides to negotiate the new contract.
"They want me to retire a Rider, so I'm here forever if they want me," he said.
Regina is near to Evans's heart, especially since he is able to raise his three-year-old son, Zander — who he describes as a "mini me" — in his own hometown.
Evans said he was initially driven to go further in football than his father Terry, who had played at a lower level. Zack surpassed that goal long ago, and is now hungry for more Grey Cup wins.
This past season he recovered four fumbles and even scored a touchdown — an impressive feat for a 295-pound defensive lineman.
"I'm just a Saskatchewan boy that just loves the Riders and just loves being in Saskatchewan and being out in the cold," he said.