It’s been years in the making.
General manager and head coach Dave Dickenson has had his eye on Vernon Adams Jr. for a while now, dating back to 2014 when he paid a visit to current quarterbacks coach Beau Baldwin when he was the head boss at Eastern Washington University.
Ten years later, he got his guy.
On Tuesday morning, Dickenson and assistant general manager Brendan Mahoney finalized a deal with BC Lions GM Ryan Rigmaiden, acquiring Adams, a 2025 fourth-round pick (32nd overall), and a 2026 third-round pick in exchange for second and fourth-round picks in 2025 (ninth and 29th overall), and a second-round pick in 2026.
“It all happened so fast,” said Adams, who was chatting with Stamps defensive back Demerio Houston 15 minutes before he got a call from Rigmaiden informing him a trade had been executed with Calgary.
“I’m so happy and thankful to be part of a great organization. I’ve always wanted to play for Dave. I’ve known him since I was in college, and I have so much respect for him.”
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The Pasadena, Calif., native started nine games for the Leos in 2024, accumulating 2,854 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns, putting together a strong case for MOP before suffering an injury in early August and subsequently backing up Nathan Rourke until the final game of the regular season when Adams returned to starting duties.
The nine-year CFL vet is known to be a recruiter for his respective clubs and hopes to assist the Red and White in attracting some other pieces to the organization when the free agency period opens.
“I want to build a good team around me, get some good players in here, and try to change the culture up a little bit,” said Adams. “I think the (Stamps) had a good team. I look at the players on the roster, the receivers, obviously I want to bring some people with me from other teams.
“The word is Calgary isn’t usually big in free agency but sometimes you got to change things up. I’m not saying we’re going to be big, but maybe we need to bring in a few other players and spend money if we need to. That’s what it takes.
“(Calgary) wasn’t losing games by a lot of points – they were really close games. That means you’re that close to getting over that hump, so I’m hoping I can be a little piece to that and help us get over that hump.”
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 20 years, Dickenson and president Jay McNeil made it clear during exit meetings that change was imminent and the club would be aggressive this off-season.
“We’ve got to make some change,” said Dickenson. “We’ve done that, we’ve made some changes across the board in our organization and now here’s a piece of the puzzle when it comes to personnel.
“We as a staff need to be realistic about things, we can’t just do things the old way all the time. We’ve got to figure out who our team is, take advantage of what they’re good at, and morph.”
One of the first steps towards retooling for 2025 was convincing NFL talent P.J. Walker to take a chance on moving up north, resulting in a two-year contract.
With the addition of V.A., the quarterback room is morphing into a group of dynamic pivots who can rip the ball downfield with tremendous accuracy, while also using their elusiveness to avoid defenders when the throw isn’t there.
“We’re going to try to change what we do a little bit offensively with guys that can run a bit more and can make plays with their feet,” said Dickenson. “We also want to make sure we find some energy, and a guy that people gravitate towards, a great leader.”
Next, Dickenson aims to fill up the club’s coaching vacancies and re-structure scouting personnel before Christmas.