BC Lions sack Head Coach Rick Campbell, Considering Trade for Vernon Adams Jr

Exciting times are ahead for the BC Lions as the club shared two big announcements on Wednesday! The Lions have let go of Head Coach and Co-General Manager Rick Campbell and have promoted Ryan Rigmaiden to General Manager. Neil McEvoy is stepping into the role of President of Football Operations after spending the last 4 years as a Co-GM for the Lions.

“We appreciate Rick Campbell for his significant contribution in restoring our franchise’s respectability and competitiveness, especially during the challenging times when he first joined us.” “He’s an amazing coach and a wonderful friend,” said President Duane Vienneau. “We’re excited to have Neil and Ryan in their new roles, and we’re already getting things ready for 2025!” We’re excited to keep our focus on being in Grey Cup contention every year!

Rick Campbell was brought on board as the head coach of the BC Lions before the 2020 season, which ended up being cancelled. In 2021, BC wrapped up the season with a 5-9 record and didn’t make it to the playoffs. A positive move forward from the Lions’ 5-13 record in 2019! In both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the club wrapped up the regular season with a solid 12-6 record, enjoyed a home game in the Western Semi-Final, and faced a tough match in the Western Final on the road in Winnipeg.

In 2024, the Lions wrapped up their season with a record of 9-9, but unfortunately fell short with a 19-28 loss on the road to Saskatchewan in the Western Semi-Final. The Lions had high hopes in 2024 as they hosted the Grey Cup. Lions’ owner Amar Doman was providing support by allowing the team to exceed the salary cap, leading to significant signings like the return of quarterback Nathan Rourke after Vernon Adams Jr.’s midseason injury and the re-signing of DE Mathieu Betts after his time with the Detroit Lions.

“Our owner has provided us with everything necessary to develop this football team. I just feel that our performance this year hasn’t quite matched what we’ve achieved in the past couple of years, and sometimes making a change is essential to reach that next level.” Duane Vienneu, the President of the BC Lions, shared some insights during Wednesday’s Media Conference.

Even though Campbell had a tough season in BC this past year, it’s great to hear that he already has some interest from the Edmonton Elks, who have been given the green light to interview him according to Farhan Lalji.

The Lions shared some exciting news as they announced their intention to explore options for trading quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who was set to be the team’s starter for the upcoming 2024 season.

“We’re excited to start making those phone calls tonight and we’ll see how the market responds,” said General Manager Ryan Rigmaiden. “He’s an amazing quarterback.” You all are aware of the type of leader and personality he has. Anyone who isn’t set on a quarterback might want to chat about it, I think.

VA had a fantastic start to the season, racking up 2,395 yards and 14 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions in the first 7 games. This impressive performance had him on track for the third most passing yards in a CFL season. Sadly, his 8th game didn’t go as well as hoped, and he ended up getting injured during a loss in Winnipeg. Adams took the field once more in the Lions’ last regular season game against Montreal, completing 26 of 36 passes for 385 yards, along with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In the playoff game, Adams Jr. completed 20 of his 33 passes, throwing for 317 yards along with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Although VA is a top-notch quarterback, BC may face some challenges in securing good value for him in a trade. 2024 showcased the incredible talent at the quarterback position in the CFL, highlighted by Davis Alexander’s rise in Montreal and Nick Arbuckle taking home the Grey Cup MVP for Toronto. Many quarterbacks are gearing up to enter free agency this offseason, and they’ve all shown impressive performances. Given the variety of options at quarterback for other teams, it might be a bit challenging for BC to find a trade partner willing to offer significant capital, especially since the Lions are looking to move on from Vernon Adams Jr. for salary considerations. He recently signed a big contract extension with BC that goes through 2026.

Ryan Rigmaide has taken on the role of the 17th General Manager in the club’s history, following three seasons as Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel. He began his journey with the Lions from 2013 to 2017, and then he joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2018 to 2020 as the Director of College Scouting. Before joining the CFL, Rigmaiden was with the Arena Football League, starting with the Spokane Shock in 2006 and becoming the General Manager in 2010.

Jonathan ClinkReporter

Jonathan Clink became a part of CFL News Hub in early April of 2023. He mainly focusses on covering the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes. He gave himself the title of CFL Rookie Journalist of the Year in 2023 after the 2023 CFL season. He likes to say that he’s a “really cool guy”. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and spent a big part of his childhood in Northwest Ontario. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and really misses having 4 months of skating every winter. Clink has penned more than 240 articles for CFL News Hub. He was the publication’s go-to person at the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton. Clink has always been passionate about sports and has a rich background in various activities, having played hockey throughout his life and also enjoying soccer, basketball and lacrosse during high school. As a young child, he would log his hockey statistics after every game, which might suggest he was meant for this role or maybe just that he had a unique way of enjoying the sport.