Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. addressed the media for what might be his last time as a B.C. Lion on Monday, offering little insight on his future with the team.
“I think you’ve got to ask (co-general manager Neil McEvoy) that,” the 31-year-old pivot responded when asked if he’d be back in B.C. next year.
“I would love to be. This is probably the hardest time I’ve had being in the locker room after the game. I went through a lot this year, this team went through a lot, and it was hard holding back those emotions.”
Adams Jr. completed 20-of-33 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in the Lions’ West Semi-Final loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. While the game ended the team’s season and their home Grey Cup hopes, it opened the final chapter of one of the most fascinating quarterback controversies in recent memory.
The Lions will be forced to trade either Adams or Canadian signal-caller Nathan Rourke this offseason, picking between the two franchise players they ineptly juggled through the second half of the year. While both McEvoy and head coach Rick Campbell indicated on Monday that a decision has yet to be made, it seems that Rourke has been given very different assurances than his counterpart.
“I’m glad I don’t have to make those types of decisions, but I know I will be [here],” the Victoria, B.C. native said. “I’m excited about the fact that, for the first time in a while, I know where I’m going to be next year.”
That discrepancy in handling the two quarterbacks should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention. The Lions made their choice in earnest when they signed Rourke to a three-year contract in August that will make him the CFL’s highest-paid player next season. Even when his play on the field struggled to meet those expectations, the homegrown passer was granted eight straight starts to work out the kinks while VA watched from the sideline.
Adams Jr. was the front-runner for Most Outstanding Player when Rourke was brought back from his NFL stint but had recently suffered a knee injury that would hold him out several weeks. The situation perfectly mirrored the 2022 season when Adams was acquired via trade mid-year to keep the seat warm for an injured Rourke. However, unlike two years ago, the red-hot starter was not immediately granted his job back when healthy.
“I came here (in 2022) because I knew I was coming to hold down this team, keep us in second place and get us a home playoff game. That’s what I did, went 4-2 as a starter, and I felt like that was going to be the same thing this year, and it wasn’t,” Adams said frankly.
“When I came back and they told me they didn’t know if I was getting my spot back, that totally crushed me. It did, I’m not gonna lie, but again, I wasn’t going to be whining and complaining about it. I had to come to work every day with a smile on my face and help however I could.”
There was rampant speculation that the handling of the quarterback situation was dividing the locker room amid poor results, despite insistence to the contrary from Campbell and both QBs. After Adams Jr. was finally given a last-gasp start to course-correct the struggling team in the regular season finale, the offence exploded with 385 yards through the air. After the game, receiver Keon Hatcher told reporters that his unit’s production was an outpouring of support for a beleaguered VA, who they viewed as the true leader of the team.
While that wave of momentum didn’t carry over into Adams Jr.’s playoff start, Rourke admitted in the aftermath that he recognized some of his teammates were dissatisfied with the veteran not being given his job back sooner.
“I think it was more of something in hindsight and I don’t fault anybody for that. I think, subconsciously, you’ve been through a lot with some people,” he explained.
“In a lot of ways, I’m glad that VA got the chance to finish the season because, in many ways, it was his team. I wish that he would have ended the season better because he deserves that. He’s been such a great leader for this team and been through a lot with the coaching decisions. He’s handled it with nothing but class.”
Adams Jr. attempted to downplay the locker room dynamics but acknowledged that he actively tried to defuse any tension, reminding players that they were a better team with Rourke in the fold. He also insisted that he remains on good terms with Campbell, even if being relegated to the bench hurt especially deeply coming from someone who had his back in the past.
“It crushed me because he put the most confidence in me last year after I threw those six interceptions. He kept me in and no coach has ever given me that much confidence,” he said. “Rick is still one of my favourite coaches I’ve ever been coached by. He’s himself. He’s always called me before any big decision that he’s made and I love him. For that, man, I appreciate him. He has to make tough decisions and that’s part of his job.”
While the continued suggestion that both quarterbacks will be considered going forward might just be front-office lip service, Adams Jr.’s numbers will look good in the final accounting. He was 6-3 as a starter this year, throwing for 2,929 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also rushed 40 times for 213 yards and three scores.
By comparison, Rourke finished his year with a 3-5 record. He threw for 1,781 yards with four touchdowns and nine picks, while adding 24 carries for 213 yards and five majors. Given the contrast in performance, it is difficult not to speculate that the Lions would have been in a better position had Adams Jr. been handed back the reins sooner, when there was still time to earn a home playoff game.
“Every other day,” VA said when asked if he thinks about that possibility. “It’s tough, man, it really is. We were in first place, then we slipped and had some losses. I really don’t have any words. What could have been, could have been — we don’t know.”
For now, he doesn’t know his future either. The final verdict will come after the Grey Cup game and Adams Jr. expects to have a say in his destination in the event of a trade. His only request thus far has been to be kept abreast of developments.
He has loved his time in Vancouver and leaves a winning legacy, proudly stating that he won more games than he lost during his time as the starter. But if this is the end, he’ll leave on a sour note, feeling that he failed to deliver on the belief his teammates placed in him throughout a challenging season.
“I didn’t want to let them down. That’s why it was the hardest loss for me a couple of days ago, because I felt like I let everyone down,” Adams Jr. said. “I let my teammates down, my coaches — the ones that believed in me — the organization. It was hard.”
