A polarizing figure this past season has had his time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders come to an end.

The Green and White announced Monday morning that they released longtime kicker Brett Lauther. The 35-year-old connected on 39-of-54 field goal attempts in 2025 for an average of 72.2 per cent, the worst mark of his eight-year tenure with the Riders. Lauther also made a league-worst 91.2 per cent of his converts and missed a 39-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of the Grey Cup against Montreal. The product of Truro, Nova Scotia, played 118 regular-season games over eight C-F-L seasons, almost all of which have come with the Roughriders. Last month, the Three Down Nation website reported that Lauther was due a $25,000 roster bonus Sunday with his release coming prior to the bonus being due, though the transaction wasn’t announced until Monday. The news release from the Riders comes at the end of this story.

Meanwhile, barely 24 hours since the C-F-L’s free agent negotiation window was opened, ahead of the official February 10 start to free agency, Saskatchewan has, apparently, agreed to terms with two pending free agents while seven other players are ready to depart the Green and White. The reported signings are that of American kick returner James Letcher Junior from Montreal and American defensive lineman James Vaughters from Winnipeg. However, reports have the Riders losing American quarterback Jake Maier, American linebacker C-J Reavis, Canadian linebacker A-J Allen and Global defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado all to Ottawa, as well American defensive lineman Malik Carney and American receiver Joe Robustelli to Edmonton, plus Canadian receiver Tommy Nield to Winnipeg. In all instances, barring anything unforeseen, all players mentioned are expected to be officially signed by their new teams on February 10.

DATE:                           February 2, 2026

RELEASE TIME:      IMMEDIATELY  

RELEASE:                 SR26-31

ROUGHRIDERS RELEASE NATIONAL KICKER BRETT LAUTHER

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have announced the release of National kicker Brett Lauther.

Lauther departs the Club after eight seasons, 114 regular-season games and eight post-season appearances in Green and White, making a lasting impact both on and off the field. This past season, he hit 1,000 career points scored as a Roughrider and kicked a 59-yard field goal (third-longest in Rider history). He is third all-time in points scored as a Roughrider, with 1,110 (behind Dave Ridgway and Paul McCallum). Lauther went 10-for-10 on game-winning field-goal attempts as Rider (tied for second at 10 with McCallum) including the capper in the 2019 Labour Day Classic — in which he memorably went on to celebrate in Pil Country — and an overtime game-winner against Calgary in the 2021 Western Semi-Final. All told, Lauther went 295-for-360 on field goals as a Roughrider. His accuracy rate (81.9%) is the best in team history for anyone with 100-plus field-goal attempts.

Off the field, Lauther embraced the Saskatchewan community, committing countless hours giving back to the people of the province. He is the founder of the Roughrider Foundation Winter Classic, a charity hockey game featuring Roughrider players as well as NHL and CFL alumni, which raises thousands of dollars for the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation. He is regularly in Saskatchewan classrooms teaching children about the importance of mental health and literacy through the Foundation’s Win With Wellness and Rider Reading programs. In 2023, Lauther’s community contributions were recognized when he received the Tom Pate Memorial Award, presented on an annual basis to a member of the CFL Players’ Association who demonstrates supreme sportsmanship and exemplary contributions to his team and community.