(Surrey) Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. sees a new opportunity with the BC Lions, the club he joined last week through a trade.
Posted yesterday at 9:05 p.m.
However, asking the Montreal Alouettes to trade him was not easy.
“I’ve definitely had mixed emotions because I’ve been in Montreal for seven years and it’s practically a second home,” Adams admitted after his first practice with the Lions on Saturday.
“The fans really gave me a lot of love and the city too. I like the guys in the locker room. »
However, he will be back quickly in the metropolis since the next duel of the Lions (8-2) will be in Montreal (4-7), Friday.
The Lions acquired the veteran quarterback from the Alouettes for a 2023 first-round pick on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old has played most of his CFL career with the Alouettes, in addition to a brief 11-game streak with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017.
An elbow injury has limited Adams’ role this season. In five games, he had 294 yards through the air and threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions. The Californian also rushed for 33 yards and scored a major.
Now healthy, Adams wanted to be somewhere where he could get more playing time. His agent suggested he ask to be traded since the Alouettes seem to have given the starting quarterback role to Trevor Harris.
I don’t think I was in the Alouettes’ plans. I just wanted to go somewhere else, have fun again and have a chance to play.
Vernon Adams Jr.
The Lions wanted backup after star quarterback Nathan Rourke underwent foot surgery last month. Substitute Michael O’Connor then suffered a groin injury in the team’s 23-16 loss to the Roughriders on August 26.
“The addition of Adams allows for more diversity at quarterback,” said Lions head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“It’s good to have a guy who has CFL experience and understands what it takes to win in this league,” he said. And he fits in well with the group.
“He’s getting a crash course in our offensive game system and so far so good. »
Adams had his best campaign in 2019 when he had 3,942 passing yards, completed 24 touchdowns and had 13 of his throw-ins intercepted. He also had 394 rushing yards and scored 13 majors.
He is a quarterback whose ground game is as good as his aerial game, which is an asset according to Campbell.
“He has good footwork too, so if the game fails he can improvise and do something,” he said.
The Lions don’t want to make major changes to their system to replace Rourke, who still leads the Ambrosia circuit in passing yards (3,281) and touchdowns (25), despite playing nine games.