Last week, new B.C. Lions General Manager Ryan Rigmaiden made it clear that the team intends to trade quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. this offseason. This will be the fourth time that Adams Jr. will be traded in his eight-year CFL career with two of those trades for first-round picks.
Vernon Adams Jr. is five foot eleven and weighs 200 pounds. The 31-year-old from Pasadena, California, completed 197 of 302 passes (65.2%) for 2,929 yards, 16 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 40 carries for 213 yards, and three touchdowns in 10 games in 2024. Before suffering a right knee injury, Adams Jr. was a front-runner for the Most Outstanding Player Award.
During his injury recovery, the Lions brought back quarterback Nathan Rourke signing him to a three-year contract, and starting in 2025 will be the highest-paid player in the CFL. Adams Jr. started the last two games of the regular season and started in the Western Semi-Final against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a 28-19 loss.
In the aftermath, the team fired head coach Rick Campbell and promoted Ryan Rigmaiden to General Manager, and Neil McEvoy as the President of Football Operations. With Adams Jr. on his way out of B.C., let’s take a look at what teams could pursue him in the offseason.
1. Edmonton Elks
The Edmonton Elks are undergoing a makeover this offseason. New owner Larry Thompson hired Chris Morris as the team’s President and CEO, and named Ed Hervey the new General Manager. Last week, the Elks interviewed head coach Rick Campbell for the head coaching job.
Given Campbell knows Adams Jr., it would make sense to bring him in and try to acquire Adams Jr. The Elks will have seven draft picks but none in the first round after drafting wide receiver Zach Mathis and forfeiting their 2025 first-round pick. Edmonton could possibly trade one of their third-round picks for Adams Jr.
However, they have an interesting situation of their own. Both quarterbacks Tre Ford and McLeod Bethel-Thompson are impending free agents. Ford is a young quarterback who is on the rise and will have interest in the free agent market.
Edmonton’s quarterbacks finished fifth in average passing yards (271.7), sixth in completions (68.5), and second in passing touchdowns (34). If Edmonton is unable to re-sign Tre Ford, I think they will take a run to acquire Vernon Adams Jr. in the offseason.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders had a successful season despite losing the Western Final 38-22 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to finish the season 9-8-1 compared to 6-12 in 2023. Head Coach Corey Mace was a runner-up for Coach of the Year.
The Roughriders have quarterbacks Trevor Harris and Shea Patterson as impending free agents. There is a chance that Harris could retire and Saskatchewan is going to need to find a proven starter quickly to continue the momentum they are building heading into the 2025 season. They could trade their fifth overall pick to the Lions for Adams Jr.
In the 2024 season, Harris, Patterson, and Jack Coan combined to throw 5,019 yards (278.8 AVG) ranking fifth in the league and finishing third in passing touchdowns (27). I do believe Saskatchewan are going to target Tre Ford first but if he ends up staying in Edmonton or is traded somewhere else, they could pursue Adams Jr. as their starter for 2025 and beyond.
3. Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders finished the 2024 season 5-12-1 missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Calgary is keeping head coach/general manager Dave Dickenson for another year. Team President Jay McNeil told reporters on November 5, 2024, that they plan on being aggressive in free agency.
Currently, the only quarterback under contract is P.J. Walker. Quarterbacks Jake Maier, Tommy Stevens, Matthew Shiltz, and Logan Bonner are all impending free agents. In 2024, Calgary’s quarterbacks were last in passing yards (4,681), third in completions (421), and fifth in touchdowns (24).
Calgary currently holds the number one overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft. They also have a second-round pick (9th) and a third-round pick (20th). Depending on how aggressive Calgary will be in free agency, I could see them trading their second-round pick for Adams Jr.
However, Calgary may not likely want to part ways with their high draft picks and could focus on drafting a quarterback. In addition, there are several quarterbacks who are impending free agents they could go after like Jeremiah Masoli, Tre Ford, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, and Davis Alexander. It will be interesting to see what Calgary does this offseason.
These three teams are likely to pursue Vernon Adams Jr. this offseason. All three teams need a quarterback and Vernon Adams Jr. is in a good situation where he will be a starter somewhere else in 2025. Whoever gets Adams Jr. will have a starter for the next several seasons and if they give him weapons to work with, they could be a contender for the Grey Cup in the future.
