The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American defensive back Jerry Jacobs.
The five-foot-11, 203-pound cornerback spent three seasons with the Detroit Lions, appearing in 40 games with 29 starts. He recorded 131 defensive tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions and one forced fumble.
Jacobs was last under contract with the Los Angeles Rams in 2024, but was released in training camp. He earned $3.6 million during his NFL career.
The 28-year-old entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent after concluding his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas in 2020, playing five games and recording 17 tackles, including one for loss. He spent the two previous campaigns at Arkansas State University, where he registered 52 tackles, four tackles for loss, four interceptions and 14 pass deflections in 17 games and was named second-team All-Sun Belt in 2018. The Atlanta, Ga., native began at Hutchinson Community College, where he was an all-conference selection.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders kept most of their big names in free agency but still suffered some key losses, including quarterback Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks), receiver Tommy Nield (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), defensive lineman Malik Carney (Edmonton Elks), linebacker A.J. Allen (Ottawa Redblacks), and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis (Ottawa Redblacks). Micah Johnson retired to become the team’s defensive line coach, while receiver Dohnte Meyers departed for an NFL shot with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Roughriders hold the ninth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Saskatchewan will play its first preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13.
In 2025, Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the club’s first championship in 12 years.
