Roughriders hire Chris Jones as coach and GM

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, coming off a hideous 3-15 season, have hired Chris Jones away from the Edmonton Eskimos to become their head coach and general manager, the team announced Monday.

Jones will also serve as defensive coordinator on the field, and vice-president of football operations off of it.

A week ago, Jones was hoisting the Grey Cup as the victorious head coach of the Eskimos. Now, the 48-year-old is headed to Regina - and the bottom of the CFL standings - to take over the football operations of the Green 'Riders.

Jones spent two seasons coaching in Edmonton and compiled a 26-10 regular-season record, along with a 3-1 postseason record. He took over an Eskimos team that went 4-14 the year before his arrival, and turned them into league champions with a 14-4 record just two years later. Jones had one year remaining on his deal with the Eskimos, but the Grey Cup champions granted Saskatchewan permission to interview him after the big game.

The Roughriders endured a tumultuous 2015 campaign, in which they fired head coach Corey Chamblin and general manager Brendan Taman after an 0-9 start. They finished with their worst record since 1999.

It's not all terrible in Saskatchewan, though. The team was hit hard by injuries this year, including the loss of quarterback Darian Durant in the season's first game, and is only two years removed from winning the Grey Cup.