Vernon Adams Jr. remains the favourite to start at quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes in 2022, but head coach Khari Jones confirmed that there will be open competition for the job in training camp.
“Vernon, obviously he’s coming in with the edge and being the person in the driver’s seat, but it’s always a competition and those guys know that,” Jones told the media on Thursday. “They want to go out and put their best foot forward.”
After a disappointing and injury-shortened 2021 season, the Alouettes gave Adams Jr. a huge vote of confidence, inking the dual-threat QB to a two-year extension in December which included a $190,000 signing bonus.
However, the team shocked many when they brought back veteran Trevor Harris, acquired as a playoff rental last season from the Edmonton Elks. Harris is signed to an incentive-laden contract, with more than $100,000 riding on beating out Adams for the top job.
The move caused some turmoil at first, with the incumbent quarterback deactivating his Twitter account following a cryptic post. Now that those initial wounds have healed, Jones sees nothing but positives from their experienced quarterback room.
“It’s very nice to have and really we have three guys, when you add Dominique Davis, with CFL experience. That’s a beautiful thing. We’re going to come in and compete,” he explained.
“I feel like we’re in a position of strength at the quarterback position and our focus is just going to be high quality quarterback play and that’s what we need to be successful. We feel like we have have the people in that room to do that.”
The Alouettes clearly want Adams Jr. to be the one to provide that, but they remain prepared if he stumbles. Whether that is a situation the outspoken passer can function in remains to be seen.