Just one week after guiding the Edmonton Eskimos to the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup, Chris Jones has accepted an offer to become the new general manager and head coach of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Jones, who played at South Pittsburg and later the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said he expects to bring his entire staff of assistants from Edmonton, including former North Jackson coach Phillip Lolley as linebackers coach.
“The area I’m going to is a lot like back home in terms of how crazy they are about football,” Jones said Monday. “There’s nothing else in the community that people are as involved in. and I like that. We’re building a brand-new stadium, and they really showed how much they wanted me to come take charge of running the organization.
“I was doing a lot of GM type stuff in my previous job, as far as scouting talent and things like that, but now I’ll just get paid for that part. It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m excited and really just thankful to be able to do what I love.”
During his 15-year CFL career Jones has been a part of seven teams that reached the Grey Cup, winning four. When Jones took over the Eskimos they were coming off a four-win season, but he led them to 12 wins and the playoff semifinals in his first year, then led the league in wins and claimed the Grey Cup title in only his second season, compiling a two-year record of 26-10.
After an 0-9 start, the Roughriders won just three games last season, finishing last in the CFL and allowing a league-worst 563 points. Jones drew leaguewide praise by working as both head coach and defensive coordinator with the Eskimos and said Monday afternoon that he plans to continue working as the defensive coordinator with his new team, hoping to turn Saskatchewan’s numbers around.
In a quote released through the team’s official Twitter account, Riders president and CEO Craig Reynolds said, “Chris Jones is a great leader and has a track record of success.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.