CALGARY — Help is on the way for the Calgary Stampeders.
Calgary coach and general manager Dave Dickenson had a good feeling early on Tuesday that his assistant general manager Brendan Mahoney could finalize a deal to acquire Vernon Adams Jr.
That’s exactly what happened as the Stampeders picked the veteran quarterback up from the B.C. Lions.
“Today was a good day,” Dickenson said. “I woke up this morning and I felt we were going to get something done.
“I did want to work with (Adams) for a long time now. I just liked what he’s about, liked what he’s done. He’s just one piece, though. We need to keep rolling. We need to keep making changes and keep bringing in good football players and we need a positive vibe going into 2025. Ultimately, we think we’ve got that.”
The deal also saw Calgary acquire a fourth-round selection (32nd overall) in the 2025 CFL draft and a third-round pick in 2026. In return, the Lions received the Stamps' second- and fourth-round picks (ninth and 29th overall) in 2025 and their second-round pick in 2026.
Mahoney, Calgary's director of player personnel, "did a great job" on the trade, Dickenson said.
“Brendan just hammered out the best deal we thought we could find, held our guns and got it done. I guess time will tell how history looks at the trade, but right now we feel very positive about it.”
Adams had a 6-3 record as a starter for the Lions (9-9) in 2024 and completed 197 of 302 passes for 2,929 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The move clears up the quarterback situation in B.C., which has decided to move forward with Nathan Rourke under centre.
“On behalf of the entire organization, I thank Vernon for his outstanding work and professionalism on and off the field these past three years,” Lions GM Ryan Rigmaiden said in a release.
Adams, 31, had a stellar start for the Lions before sustaining a knee injury in an Aug. 1 loss to Winnipeg.
Rourke, who won the CFL's most outstanding Canadian award with the Lions in 2022, signed with the team a couple of weeks later.
His second stint with the club came after he tried to catch on in the NFL. When Adams recovered, the Lions continued to go with Rourke despite his struggles.
Adams returned to start the Lions’ final game of the season, a win over the Montreal Alouettes, as well as B.C.'s loss to Saskatchewan in the West Division semifinal.
He joins a Calgary team that primarily used Jake Maier at quarterback last season. Calgary went 5-12-1 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Dickenson believes the new addition can help turn things around for the franchise.
“The fans want good football, winning football — they do,” the coach said. “Flash is good. It’s about winning, though. I just think you’re judged on wins and losses. Exciting football when you lose isn’t good enough. We need to win. That’s what our message is — we need to turn the table and start winning.”
Hailing from Pasadena, Cali., Adams has spent eight seasons in the CFL with B.C., Montreal and Saskatchewan, and posted a 38-22 record.
“I am super excited to be a Stampeder,” Adams said in a statement. “I’ve always wanted to play for (Dickenson) and an organization like Calgary — so much rich history and culture."
He added was “pumped” to be reunited with Calgary quarterbacks coach Beau Baldwin, who coached Adams for three seasons at Eastern Washington University.
“Beau’s not here just to recruit Vernon, but I thought it was a feather in our cap,” Dickenson said. “Vernon brings a little different dynamic. We’re excited to work with him."
Dickenson first met Adams in 2014 when he went down to Eastern Washington and got to know both Baldwin and the quarterback. Even 10 years ago, he felt Adams would be a great player in Calgary.
“It doesn’t always come for you right away, but I felt like he’s really shown who he is as a player the last few years," Dickenson said. "And for us, that was big.”
In addition to Maier, the Stamps used Tommy Stevens, Matthew Shiltz and Logan Bonner under centre in 2024. All four are free agents ahead of next season.
The Stamps also signed quarterback P.J. Walker to a contract on Nov. 11. Calgary previously acquired Walker’s negotiation-list rights in a trade with the Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 26. Walker then signed with the Stamps on Oct. 8 and spent the final three weeks of the 2024 season on Calgary’s practice roster.
In his quest to help the Stamps return to their winning ways, Dickenson said he and his staff have continually been on the lookout for new talent at the quarterback position.
“We’ve, in the past, had maybe the next-guy-up mantra, meaning we had a guy in house we felt could be a really good football player," he said. "We didn’t necessarily feel like we didn’t have good players, but it was time to try to go after a guy that we think could make a major difference."
“We just felt that we needed a different quarterback, a different style, and it doesn’t mean it’s going to always translate into wins, but we think we can do that.”
By acquiring Adams and signing Walker — a QB who saw 21 games in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns between 2020 and 2023 — Dickenson believes the future is bright for the Stamps.
“We do think that room has gotten better and I do feel like in a quarterback-driven league if you can have quality guys — first and foremost guys that are accountable, that are leaders, that stand up for what we believe in and do the right things — I think the wins will come.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
