Eric Evans
MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes have acquired the negotiating rights to quarterback Vernon Adams from the BC Lions in exchange for a first round pick in 2017.
The trade was announced Friday evening by the Lions and gives Als general manager Jim Popp exclusive negotiating rights with the former Oregon Ducks star quarterback. A deal between Adams and the Alouettes has not yet been announced.
Adams, a 5-foot-11 native of Pasadena, Calif., was one of college football’s most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks from 2012 through 2015 with Eastern Washington and Oregon.
After three years with Eagles, Adams accepted a scholarship offer and transferred to Oregon, where in in 2015 he started 10 games and passed for 2,643 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions.
If signed, Adams immediately becomes one of the top young quarterback prospects in the CFL (Photo: Eric Evans).
He was passed over in last month’s NFL Draft and reportedly participated in separate mini-camps with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins but was not offered a contract. This week he made headlines north of the border when it was reported by TSN’s Farhan Lalji the Lions and Adams were close to reaching a deal.
Should he strike a deal with the Als, Adams would join Rakeem Cato and Brandon Bridge, both 24, as young quarterbacks in the Als’ system.
Seventeen-year veteran Kevin Glenn is expected to be the Alouettes’ starting quarterback going into the season.
For the Lions, the trade amounts to what will be at least a top-nine draft pick in 2017 in exchange for a quarterback who wasn’t even on their roster. Word was the Lions hoped to have Adams in camp, but he would have been competing behind Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay, the team’s first and second quarterbacks respectively.
Lulay is a former Most Outstanding Player while the Lions’ future likely rests on the 23-year-old Jennings, who emerged as one of the CFL’s most exciting young quarterbacks in just half a season of playing time in 2015.
Adams, 23, ran a 4.83 at the NFL Combine this year and was also the East-West Shrine Game Offensive MVP. Playing for the Ducks in 2015 he was an Honourable Mention for All-PAC-12.
