We’re just under a month away from the holidays, but they’ve arrived early for the Calgary Stampeders.
The Stamps’ trade for Vernon Adams Jr. cannot be understated: it’s a game changing move for a franchise that sorely needed it.
Much in the way that path to the Grey Cup has run through Winnipeg in this decade, the Stamps spent the previous one being the team waiting near the top of the mountain, taking on any challenger that came close to them. Acquiring Adams doesn’t put them instantly back in that spot, but it’s a step toward it.
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A PERFECT FIT
Adams will reunite with Beau Baldwin, his former coach at Eastern Washington University, who is now the Stamps’ QBs coach (Stampeders.com)
Adams wouldn’t have considered this possibility when he’d signed his new contract with the Lions last winter, but in many ways, Calgary is an optimal destination for him. He’ll work with head coach Dave Dickenson, who was alongside Bo Levi Mitchell for almost a decade, as Mitchell established himself as a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Adams will continue to learn the game from Dickenson, himself a Canadian Football Hall of Famer, in a system that allowed Mitchell to thrive. Adams’ skill set is different from Mitchell’s but Dickenson surely is already deep in thought on how to maximize an MOP-calibre-type player like Adams into his offence.
In addition to that, Adams will reunite with his former Eastern Washington University coach Beau Baldwin in Calgary. Baldwin joined the Stamps’ staff in 2024 as quarterbacks coach and enjoyed tremendous success with Adams at EWU. Adams went 28-6 with the Eagles between 2012-2014 and was a first-team Big Sky Conference all-star and the conference’s offensive player of the year in both 2013 and 2014.
In 37 games, Adams completed 701 of 1,081 passes for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns. He also had 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Baldwin is something of an accidental CFL quarterback whisperer, having coached Adams and Mitchell at EWU and Michael Reilly at Central Washington in 2007.
The duo of Dickenson and Baldwin make for something that no other team in the CFL could offer Adams as he looked for his next CFL destination.
AN IMPACT THAT CAN BE FELT TODAY
Adams — who was on pace for a 6,000-yard season before his Week 9 injury and the return of Nathan Rourke as the team’s starter — will bring a significant impact on the field from the day that training camp opens.
Adams’ impact on the team will be felt well before that, too. Adams provides some certainty at the position, in that he is the clear cut No. 1 pivot, with two years remaining on the deal he signed with the Lions in February. That should help Dickenson when he puts his general manager’s hat on to shape his 2025 roster.
Adams’ presence in Calgary should be a reason to stay for any of the team’s pending free agent receivers. It will also capture the attention of pending free agents around the league, particularly those who have played with him in the past. Adams brings big offensive numbers with him, as Eugene Lewis (2019, Montreal), Bryan Burnham (2023, BC), Lucky Whitehead (2023, BC) and Justin McInnis and Alexander Hollins (2024, BC) can attest.
When the snow melts and things kickoff in 2025, you can bet that Adams will have plenty to prove in his new uniform, too. Which brings us to our final point.
CIRCLE A DATE TBD ON YOUR CALENDAR
We don’t know what the 2025 CFL schedule will look like yet, but we can guarantee you that the first Stampeders-Lions encounter this year will be a big one. The Lions’ 2024 season was a full roller coaster ride. With VA under centre, the Lions jumped out to a 5-1 start and looked like world beaters. The team sputtered a little, with Adams going down in Week 9, falling to 5-4 before Rourke returned from his NFL exploration, re-joined the team and assumed starting duties.
The Lions appeared to stay on the same page, despite the difficult transition at QB. Adams had put together MOP-worthy numbers early on, but had to step back as Rourke tried to rekindle his 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian Award-winning magic in Lions’ colours. That proved difficult, as mid-season returns often do for players coming back from the NFL.
The Lions hovered around .500 the rest of the season, finishing 9-9 before Rourke lost the starting job to Adams in time for the team’s appearance in the Western Semi-Final against Saskatchewan.
Adams said all of the right things over the second half of the season, but was transparent in his final media appearance with the Lions after their playoff loss. He would have liked to have kept his starting job. He would have liked for things to have played out differently last season. Stepping back was as difficult as you might imagine that it could be.
Adams will suit up for the Stamps with a fire under him. He played the best football of his eight-year CFL career in BC. Had things played out differently, they may have won a Grey Cup together. He brings all of that motivation, plus the sharpest his skill set has been at the prime of his career, to a Stamps team that will welcome him at his absolute best. That first game against the Lions, and however many more Adams and the Stamps get next year, will be must-see TV.