B.C. ‘right place’ for Williams
Dynamic receiver-returner signs with Lions team that’s ‘ready to take the next step’
Nothing much happens in free agency unless you come up with the long green. Money is what makes the player go.
But during contract discussions with the B.C. Lions, hotshot receiver Chris Williams looked at some other factors: the young quarterback who could get him the ball deep, the closer proximity to his hometown of Rio Rancho, N.M., the team that could be a player or two away from winning a championship.
“My understanding is other offers were on the table that were higher than ours,” said Lions general manager Wally Buono. “We could only do so much. But, for him, this was a place where he wanted to be. That’s what you want. You want players who want to be here.”
After failing to land Williams two years ago, when he became a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the Chicago Bears, Buono targeted the 5-8, 170-pound jackrabbit from New Mexico for a second time. This time the stars aligned.
The Lions officially signed the dynamic receiver-returner Friday after Williams’ repaired ACL tear was examined by team orthopedic surgeon Bob McCormack and pronounced an acceptable risk to return to his former prominence.
“We gave him what I thought was a very, very nice offer (in 2015),” Buono said. “But Ottawa came in a little bit higher. Not a little. A lot higher. They were a new (expansion) team. And they had a lot more money.”
Williams is coming off knee surgery and a shortened 2016 campaign with the Redblacks, who won their first Grey Cup since 1976 in November with the receiver parked on the sidelines. Despite missing four games, Williams still finished the year with 77 catches, 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He was on a torrid pace for the first three games, averaging 164 receiving yards and scoring six touchdowns, when strong-armed QB Trevor Harris was feeding him the ball.
“You don’t want to go to a team where that position (quarterback) is in flux or not established,” Williams said. “Even though (Jonathon) Jennings is young, he’s established already. He’s got experience. He’s only going to get better. And he’s got a guy like (Travis) Lulay behind him, a former MOP (most outstanding player) who’s been invaluable in developing him. You look for situations like that.”
Williams said Vancouver “has always been a destination in the back of my mind” since he was here as a Hamilton Tiger-Cat in 2011, to accept the CFL’s rookie of the year award during Grey Cup week.
“The Lions have never really had a year when you’re thinking, ‘Man, this team sucks this year,’ ” he said. “They’ve just kind of been steady. And they’re close. They’re ready to take the next step.
“Coming off two seasons when I’ve reached the Grey Cup both times, winning one, that’s what I’m hungry for — to play with a good, young developing quarterback and just a plethora of talent on offence. This is the right time, and the right place with the right pieces.”
For the Lions, there is also a certain degree of serendipity in the signing.
Coming off knee surgery — in a year when CFL free agency was chock full of quality receivers, providing plenty of options from which to choose — Williams perhaps didn’t have the same contract leverage he might have had in a different scenario.
“For it to be this team, with the way the (salary) cap was structured and everything ... I don’t think they could have signed me, if I’d stayed healthy,” Williams said. “And where I’m at in my life (29, married, with kids), it’s not all about the money anymore.”
At one time, a serious knee injury often ended an athlete’s career. Even if he did come back, that player was rarely the same. But surgical and rehab techniques have evolved to such a degree that Williams, who went into the operating theatre in late October, is already doing “cutting, jogging, lunges, squats, all the strength stuff.
“I’m where I’m supposed to be. And I’ve got time on my side. Hopefully, I’ll be ready (training camp opens May 28).”
Envisioning Williams stretching the field and exploiting mismatches on offence, Buono also would consider using him as a kick return threat (Williams set a CFL record with six return touchdowns in 2012).
“That puts, I think, fear in the cover teams,” Buono said.
“It takes some of the pressure off (CFL all-star) Chris Rainey. Now, maybe we can use him more as an offensive weapon. You can’t have too many big-play guys. When a defence has to worry about a lot of them, it’s tough.”