B.C. Lions, Edmonton Eskimos open free agency by signing top quarterbacks
Lots of player movement on the opening day of signing season in the Canadian Football League
The B.C. Lions opened Canadian Football League free agency with a bang before the Edmonton Eskimos followed with their own big move.
The Lions announced the signing of quarterback Mike Reilly to a four-year, $2.9-million deal (average annual value $725,000) shortly after the free-agent period began at noon EST on Tuesday. Reilly was the CFL’s highest-paid player last year at more than $500,000 with the Eskimos.
But following Reilly’s departure, Edmonton general manager Brock Sunderland went on the offensive. The Eskimos GM added quarterback Trevor Harris, receiver Greg Ellingson and offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers, all of the East Division-champion Ottawa Redblacks.
Reilly, meanwhile, returns to the place he started his CFL career in 2010.
“It’s an amazing feeling for me, my wife and our extended families to know I am back with the Lions,” Reilly said in a statement. “I am grateful for my time in Edmonton and it will always hold a very special place in my heart, but the opportunity to rejoin (GM) Ed (Hervey) and return to Vancouver to be part of what he is building was too good to pass up at this point in my career.”
Almost as stunning as the contract value was that the exact figures were even divulged. Traditionally, CFL contracts do not contain monetary details.
Hervey didn’t stop after inking Reilly. The Lions agreed to terms with Canadian offensive lineman Sukh Chungh, who spent the previous four seasons with the Winnipeg
Blue Bombers, and Canadian receiver Lemar Durant, the former Calgary Stampeder who was the top Canadian in last year’s Grey Cup game.
Harris, 32, is coming off the best season of his CFL career. He completed 431-of-615 passes for 5,116 yards and 22 touchdowns. He had a league playoff-record six TD strikes in the East Division final before the Redblacks lost 27-16 to Calgary in the Grey Cup game.
“I’m excited to join the city of champions and Edmonton Eskimos led by Brock Sunderland and (head coach) Jason Maas,” Harris said after inking a two-year deal. “I’m very blessed to have their belief and I’m excited to get to work and start our pursuit to the Grey Cup with my teammates.”
Sunderland had a busy day, also adding former Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebackers Don Unamba and Larry Dean, the East Division’s top defensive player last year, and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, formerly of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ottawa also lost running back William Powell, a 1,000-yard rusher the past two seasons, to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Reilly, 34, was the most coveted player on the open market. He hasn’t missed a game the past three seasons with the Eskimos and passed for more than 5,500 yards in each one. After guiding Edmonton to a Grey Cup title in 2015, Reilly was the league’s most outstanding player in 2017 and has thrown a combined 88 TD passes over that span.
But the six-foot-three, 230-pound Reilly is a dual threat, having rushed for a combined 1,311 yards on 319 carries (4.2-yard average) and 34 TDs the past three seasons.
“This is a historic day for our organization and for fans of the B.C. Lions,” said Hervey. “Acquiring one of the CFL’s elite quarterbacks is an extremely rare opportunity and we’re thrilled to welcome Mike home to the Lions.”
With Reilly and Harris both off the open market, that left teams needing a quarterback to shift their interest to Bo Levi Mitchell — who led the Stamps to last year’s Grey Cup title.
Other moves after free agency started on Tuesday included:
— The Montreal Alouettes signing longtime defensive end John Bowman to a twoyear deal. The 36-year-old is the Alouettes’ career sack leader. The Alouettes also signed Canadian fullback Christophe Normand (last year with Edmonton) and Canadian offensive lineman Spencer Wilson (last year with Calgary).
— The Tiger-Cats inked Canadian receiver Brian Jones, who split last year between the Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts.
— The Roughriders signed former B.C. linebacker DyShawn Davis to a one-year deal.