The B.C. Lions have signed Canadian receiver Justin McInnis to a two-year contract extension through the 2026 season. He was a pending free agent.
The 28-year-old McInnis became the first Canadian since Andy Fantuz in 2010 to lead the CFL in receiving yards, recording 92 receptions for 1,469 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned an All-CFL selection and the team’s nomination for Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.
“Justin has evolved into an elite game-breaker in this league and we feel his ceiling can be even higher as we integrate our players into Buck Pierce’s offence,” general manager Ryan Rigmaiden said in a statement.
That yardage total was the second-highest ever in one season by a B.C. Lions Canadian receiver after Matt Clark produced 1,530 in 1991. It was the eighth-best for a Canadian all-time, surpassing names such as Fantuz, Brad Sinopoli, Jeff Fairholm and Ray Elgaard.
The Pierrefonds, Quebec native originally joined the Lions as a free agent in 2023. He registered 46 catches for 690 yards and five touchdowns across 18 regular season games that year.
The six-foot-five, 210-pound pass catcher was selected in the first round, sixth overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2019 CFL Draft. McInnis suited up in 33 games over three seasons with the Green and White, notching 48 receptions for 596 yards and two majors.
McInnis transferred from Dodge City Community College to Arkansas State University from 2016 to 2018. He recorded 115 receptions for 1,577 yards and 10 touchdowns in 38 games with the Red Wolves.
Through 57 CFL games, McInnis has 186 receptions for 2,755 yards with 14 touchdowns. He has 706 yards after catch while averaging 14.8 yards per grab.
