REGINA — Regina-born receiver Mitch Picton, a member of the Grey Cup-winning Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025, has announced his retirement from professional football after spending nine years with CFL team he grew up watching.
Selected by Saskatchewan in the fifth round (37th overall) of the 2017 CFL Canadian Draft, Picton caught 96 passes for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns in 64 career regular-season games with the Green and White. He was also an invaluable contributor off the field as a Player Ambassador for the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation.
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Picton’s presence with the Roughriders was foreshadowed when he caught two touchdown passes from his cousin, Noah, in the first football game played at new Mosaic Stadium. On Oct. 1, 2016, Mitch Picton helped the University of Regina Rams defeat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 37-29 in a test event at the state-of-the-art facility.
Picton also played in the Roughriders’ first game of any description at their current home — a June 10, 2017 pre-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He caught two passes for 21 yards in that game before returning to the Rams for a fifth and final season of Canada West football.
The former LeBoldus Golden Suns standout spent five seasons (2013-17) with the Rams, playing in 38 U Sports games. Over that span, he caught 170 passes for 2,447 yards and 24 touchdowns. In 2016, he led Canada West in catches (58), receiving yards (834) and aerial touchdowns (11) en route to being named a Canada West All-Star and a First-Team All-Canadian.
During his graduating season with the Rams, Picton was also a member of the Roughriders’ practice roster. He returned to the practice roster in 2018 before making his CFL regular-season debut on July 27, 2019 against the host BC Lions. He was a member of a first-place team in 2019, as he was last season.
Picton made a career-high 25 receptions in 2021, when he scored his first CFL touchdown. He also established a career single-game best for receptions (eight), against the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Nov. 20, 2021.
In 2023, Picton posted a personal-best 232 receiving yards. One of his 17 catches was a four-yard TD connection with Trevor Harris late in the fourth quarter against Edmonton on July 6, 2023. The successful two-point convert attempt created an 11-11 tie at Mosaic Stadium. A single on the ensuing kickoff gave Saskatchewan a down-to-the-wire, 12-11 victory.
Last season, Picton caught 20 passes for 226 yards in 14 regular season games. Seven of those receptions were registered against the visiting Calgary Stampeders on July 12. He also wore No. 81 on Nov. 16 for the 112th Grey Cup Game, in which Saskatchewan defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
Mitch’s time with the Roughriders includes the Club’s establishment of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation, which he has represented by visiting schools across the province and speaking with youngsters about literacy (via the Rider Reading program) and mental health (Win With Wellness).
Mitch and his wife, Kaylee, are year-round residents of Regina.
