Gene Smith sat across a table from Trevor Harris on Sept. 4, 2010 and delivered news that, at the time, was crushing.
Nearly 16 years after being released by the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Harris has come to regard the tough conversation — the entire scenario, for that matter — as a blessing in disguise.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ marquee quarterback had the pleasure of conveying those sincere sentiments to Smith when the former Jaguars General Manager visited Mosaic Stadium on July 12 and, strictly by chance, watched Harris play in his 200th CFL game.
After the Roughriders’ 38-7 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Smith approached Harris in the victorious team’s locker room. After a warm hug, they enjoyed an extended, amicable chat — 5,790 days after previously crossing paths.
Seated nearby was Roughriders Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O’Day, who had invited Smith — a long-time friend — to attend a game in Saskatchewan.
“(Smith) talked to me about how proud he was of me,” said Harris, the 2025 Grey Cup MVP. “I said, ‘You probably couldn’t be prouder of J.O. as well. Look at what he has built here.’ He said, ‘I couldn’t agree more, Trevor.’
“It was one of those cool things where I got to look at my first boss in pro football and my current one. I was able to give J.O. some affirmation, too, because he has done a heck of a job and I couldn’t be prouder to be the quarterback here for this organization.
“It was really cool, because the last time I saw Gene Smith, it was kind of a dream being taken away from me. After a game, I rarely talk about cool things that happen, but I called my mom and talked to my wife. I said, ‘You’re never going to believe who I got to chat with after the game!’
“I was able to text with him (that) night and I’ll be able to stay in touch with him. Hopefully we’re a part of each other’s future football journeys as well.”
Smith was the Jaguars’ GM when Harris signed with the NFL team as an undrafted free agent on April 24, 2010, following a spectacular collegiate career at Edinboro University — an NCAA Division II school in Pennsylvania.
O’Day had starred for the Edinboro Fighting Scots from 1993 to 1996 before playing in the CFL for 14 seasons (the last 12 with Saskatchewan).
Smith was an Assistant Coach at Edinboro during O’Day’s first two seasons with the Fighting Scots.
In 1994, Smith left Edinboro to join the Jaguars in a scouting capacity. He was promoted to Director of College Scouting (2000 to 2007) and Executive Director of College and Pro Personnel (2008) before becoming the GM.
Entering Smith’s second season in the latter capacity, the Jaguars signed Trevor Harris of Waldo, Ohio.
“We actually talked to them during the (2010) Draft,” recalled Harris, 40. “Jacksonville didn’t have any more picks after their first pick in the sixth round, so they were on the phone with my agent.
“They said, ‘If he doesn’t get drafted, we’d love to have him here. We’re only going to have three quarterbacks here and you’re going to get an opportunity.’ It was between two or three places before I chose Jacksonville.
“I grew a lot when I was there, but I think it was the right thing that I got released in terms of my growth, development, humility and learning.
“I didn’t have a ton of humility. I started in high school and I started in college. I finally got to take a step back and realize that things can get taken away from you very easily.
“I think it ended up being the best thing for me. I told Gene that five years down the road, I was able to look back at something I thought was terrible and tough for me and say it was one of the best things that happened to me.
“It led me to being back with my wife (Kalie). I think that if I had stayed in the NFL, maybe I wouldn’t have gotten back together with her (after the relationship broke off for seven years). I wouldn’t have my kids.
“My faith has grown through my journey from the time I got to Jacksonville and I have continued to grow and learn in my faith journey.
“Meeting my wife and having my kids is obviously the best thing ever. And I ended up getting to play for my dream team here in the CFL, too, so it has all worked out exactly how I hoped.”
Before signing Harris, Smith solicited the opinions of scouts and other football contacts in addition to relying on his own appraisal.
“This one was a bit unique because I had coached at Edinboro and I knew the Head Coach,” Smith noted, referencing Scott Browning.
“In this particular case, Trevor was somebody who came highly recommended and somebody I actually got a chance to look at on video. (The realization) was immediate that he knew how to process in a timely manner.
“There are some quarterbacks who may have a stronger arm than him, but with the processing piece, he was an A-plus. Plus, he threw a catchable ball.”
Harris, David Gerrard and Luke McCown were the three quarterbacks in camp with the 2010 Jaguars. Over two NFL pre-season games, Harris completed 14 of 21 passes for 116 yards.
“We signed him and we thought he had a legitimate shot to make an NFL roster, but who knew what he would become?” Smith reflected.
“He had all the things from the neck up, and he certainly had enough from the neck down, to be in an NFL camp and to compete to make an NFL roster — even as a third-(stringer) or to eventually start or to have a lengthy career in the CFL.
“This is a quality league. There are a lot of players who have played in the NFL who have played in this league. There are a lot of players on their way up who may play into the NFL. For him to have the consistency in his play and to have done it at a high level is very impressive.
“He has been a part of three Grey Cups and to win one last year, at his age, is a rare thing in professional sport. There’s a few who have done it, or it’s rare.”
Some of the attributes the Jaguars identified went beyond X’s and O’s or performance on the field.
“He had top character,” the Nashville-based Smith said. “In that position, you want somebody who is going to be the face of the franchise who others can emulate.
“You know he’s going to do a lot of public-relations type things and he’s going to be in front of people. You knew he would represent the organization well.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-round pick or a later-round pick or somebody who comes in as an undrafted free agent. If they make a roster and they become a player one day, in the NFL or the CFL, that position is going to have to speak and represent the organization and kind of be the coach on the field.
“Some guys who are very humble — because Trevor is a humble guy — may not talk all the time, but they know when to assert themselves, whether it’s in the huddle or at the line of the scrimmage or when they need to do speaking opportunities.
“They really don’t want the spotlight on them, although the position does have a spotlight that comes with it. He has handled himself so well as a professional player, with Jacksonville and in the CFL, and as a college player.
“Our coaches were impressed when he came in because he had a veteran approach to his preparation. He knew you had to prepare to achieve and he knew others were counting on him.
“That’s probably the thing that sticks out to me — how impressed they were with his ability to understand, to process, and to approach it like a professional.”
Professional football took Harris to various places before he found a home in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts in 2012.
After four seasons with Toronto, he spent time with the Ottawa REDBLACKS (2016-18), Edmonton Elks (2019-21) and Montreal Alouettes (2021-22) before signing with Saskatchewan on Feb. 14, 2023.
He celebrated Grey Cup championships with Toronto (2012) and Ottawa (2016) before adding another title in 2025, winning for the first time as a starter and pretty much ensuring his eventual induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Although Harris did not become a full-time front-liner until age 29, he has ascended to 12th on the CFL’s All-Time passing-yardage list (with 39,326).
He is ninth in completions (3,220), 14th in touchdown passes (216) and 15th in attempts (4,530) entering Thursday’s home date with Edmonton (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I’m extremely happy that he has had the career he has had, because no one’s more deserving,” Smith said. “For his family, his children, to be able to experience him playing, I know there’s a lot of players who would love to have that opportunity.
“You’ve got have longevity. You’ve got to play at a level that keeps you on an CFL roster — and he has been a starter. That’s a whole other conversation. That’s a tough task and he’s done it at a high level.”
Thanks in large part to skills Smith cited from the outset.
“When I spoke with him briefly during my time in Jacksonville, the things that he told me that he liked about my game and the reason that they liked me have really been what has carried me through my career,” Harris said.
“He pulled me aside and said, ‘Trevor, what’s the most important part of playing the position of quarterback, aside from the obvious such as decision-making?’ I said, ‘Probably accuracy or something.’ He said, ‘I think it’s footwork, and here’s why …’
“He explained it to me and I was like, ‘OK, that doesn’t make any sense to me.’ I was 23, 24 years old — just a ripe young rookie. As time has gone on, nothing has been truer.
“I’m not sure if he was speaking of me specifically, but there’s nothing that has helped me more than my footwork. Over the last two or three years, it has kind of been, ‘Man, Gene Smith said this to me a long time ago. There’s a lot of wisdom in that.’
“It’s funny, because I had even mentioned that in an interview I did two weeks ago. Then, just before we played Hamilton, J.O. said, ‘Guess who’s going be at the game?’ I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s really cool!’
“It was really awesome that I got a chance to chop it up with him and talk. He was very kind in what he said. He said, ‘Trevor, I hope you plan on coaching when you’re done.’ I said, ‘I don’t know that I can get away from football.’ It was funny, because J.O. said, ‘Hold on. Let’s not make him retire yet.’
“It was really, really cool that I got a chance to chat with Gene a little bit because he’s somebody who gave me my first opportunity in the NFL. I know Gene’s an elite football mind, so it was really cool to get some validation from him and hear what his thoughts were.
“I’m glad I got a chance to tell him that I appreciate what he did for me. God always works in mysterious ways.”