Vernon Adams Jr. hopes to be judged by his heart and his play, not by his thumbs.
The Montreal Alouettes’ starting quarterback knows that his behaviour on social media following the signing of veteran Trevor Harris may have rubbed some people the wrong way, but both he and his teammates have put that behind them.
“We’re human, man. You know what I’m saying? We’re all human and that’s why I had that moment when I did the tweet and all that stuff,” Adams said on 980 CJME’s The Green Zone.
“Everybody thinks I’m all in the wrong for what I did or whatever, but I think anybody would feel the same way I felt if it went the way it went. But now, we’re over that, I talked to Trevor, we’ve talked a few times, and we know what the goal is, so that’s all that matters.”
Harris’ signing came as something of a shock to Adams, who had recently signed a lucrative contract extension with the Alouettes and cemented his status as the franchise quarterback.
The former Elks’ starter had been acquired by trade as a playoff rental in 2021 following a season-ending injury to Adams Jr.’s shoulder and was initially released to pursue other opportunities. His foray into free agency resulted in Harris returning to Montreal on a reduced deal, with more than $100,000 in incentives riding on his ability to unseat the incumbent.
Though there has been speculation that the Alouettes are internally divided on their quarterback, the team has routinely backed Adams Jr. as the starter publicly. After initial anger, he has since embraced the idea of veteran company in the locker room.
“We know it takes a village. There’s not one quarterback, not one player that can do it all by himself. Trevor has a lot of experience, the man’s been to a couple Grey Cups and I’m always willing to learn from anybody,” Adams Jr. said.
“The competitor in me, I want to be the guy and I will work to be the guy, but there’s always time to learn. I don’t think one quarterback in the last few years has played every single game. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m always willing to learn and work with him to bring this team back to their old days, the winning days.”
The ramifications of his very public reaction to the transaction continue however, with some fans questioning whether his social media outbursts make him face of the franchise material. Adams Jr. admits he acted emotionally, but also acknowledges that finding extrinsic motivation online is part of who he is.
“It’s not that I like reading things to get going, it somehow just falls in my lap,” he chuckled. “I’ll remember [a comment] in the middle of the season when they want to try to flip the script and to get on me. I’ll remember when you said this. It pumps me up and lights that fire in me that I used to always have — it’s fun.”
For some, that’s a red flag, but his teammates know his true character. That’s all that truly matters.
“I’m a different type of quarterback. I’ll probably say a lot more on social media than the organization and others might like me to, but I’m still a great leader,” Adams Jr. insisted. “Guys know I take care of my guys.”
