Kian Schaffer-Baker

Kian Schaffer-Baker
No. 89     Saskatchewan Roughriders
Schaffer-Baker with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2024
Born: (1998-04-28) April 28, 1998 (age 26)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada[1]
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Wide receiver
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
UniversityGuelph
High schoolOur Lady of Mount Carmel
CFL draft2020, round: 4, pick: 30
Drafted bySaskatchewan Roughriders
Career history
As player
2021–presentSaskatchewan Roughriders
Career stats

Kian Schaffer-Baker (born April 28, 1998) is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

University career

Schaffer-Baker played U Sports football for the Guelph Gryphons from 2016 to 2019.[2] In the 2019 East–West Bowl, he led all players with five catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.[3] He finished his university career with 28 games played, recording 95 receptions for 1,544 yards, and eight touchdowns.[4]

Guelph Gryphons
Year GP Receiving
Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2016 9 22 424 19.3 55 1
2017 10 33 422 12.8 41 1
2018 8 32 504 15.8 46 4
2019 8 23 373 16.2 47 3
Total 35 110 1,723 15.7 55 9

Professional career

Despite recording good testing numbers in the 2020 Ontario Regional Combine, Schaffer-Baker was not invited to the CFL Combine that year for the top ranked players available in the 2020 CFL Draft.[3][5] He was then drafted in the fourth round, 30th overall, by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[6] However, he did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season. Instead, it was announced that he had signed his rookie contract with the Roughriders on January 19, 2021.[7]

Following 2021 training camp, Schaffer-Baker began the 2021 season on the Roughriders' practice roster. After an injury to Shaq Evans in week 2, Schaffer-Baker was elevated to the active roster and made his CFL debut against the Ottawa Redblacks on August 21, 2021 where he had four catches for 64 yards.[6][8] In his fourth game, he scored his first professional touchdown on September 17, 2021 against the Toronto Argonauts after catching a pass from Cody Fajardo and running 24 yards to the endzone for the score.[9] He finished his rookie season with 47 receptions for 563 yards with two touchdowns. Schaffer-Baker continued his strong play into his second season, playing in all 18 regular season games and totaling 68 receptions for 960 yards with five touchdowns. He was named the Roughriders nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian.[10]

Following the 2022 season Schaffer-Baker had workouts with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.[11][12] In March 2023, he underwent hip surgery and was expected to miss the start of the 2023 season.[13] On April 12, 2023, the Riders awarded Schaffer-Baker with a new two-year contract extension.[14] According to the terms of his new contract Schaffer-Baker is set make a base salary of $100,000 in 2023, $165,000 in 2024, and $190,000 in 2025 (plus incentives).[15]

CFL career statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing
GP GS Rec Tar Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD
2021 SSK 12 9 47 63 563 12.0 71 2 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0
2022 SSK 18 18 68 98 960 14.1 85T 5 13 74 5.7 16 0
2023 SSK 9 9 38 55 430 11.3 39 3 2 6 3.0 10 0
Total 39 35 153 216 1,953 12.8 85T 10 16 72 4.5 16 0

References

  1. ^ "Riders lock up five more of their 2020 draft picks". CKOM. January 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Kian Schaffer-Baker". Guelph Gryphons. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Schaffer-Baker: 'I'm trying to be the best version of myself' for Riders". Canadian Football League. May 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Riders Canadian receiver rookie duo catching on during training camp". CJME. July 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "CFL Draft Profile: Schaffer-Baker is the best prospect no one is talking about". TSN. April 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Riders' Schaffer-Baker makes best of 'next man up'". Canadian Football League. August 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Riders sign members of 2020 CFL draft class". Saskatchewan Roughriders. January 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Ottawa Redblacks vs Saskatchewan Roughriders". Canadian Football League. August 21, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  9. ^ "Rob Vanstone: Kian Schaffer-Baker, touchdown maker, sparkles in Saskatchewan Roughriders' win". The Leader Post. September 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Nominees announced ahead of 2022 CFL Awards, 5 Roughriders make the cut". Regina. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  11. ^ Hodge, John (2022-11-21). "Saskatchewan Roughriders' receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker works out for Jacksonville Jaguars". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  12. ^ Hodge, John (2022-12-06). "Saskatchewan Roughriders' receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker works out for Pittsburgh Steelers". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  13. ^ Dunk, Justin (2023-03-22). "Kian Schaffer-Baker undergoes hip surgery, projected to miss start of 2023 season for Riders". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  14. ^ "Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Canadian receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker to two-year extension". TSN. The Canadian Press. 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  15. ^ Dunk, Justin (2023-05-18). "Riders give Canadian receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker substantial pay raise in contract extension". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2023-05-18.