Photo: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions
The B.C. Lions saw their season end on Saturday — whether Amar Doman likes it or not — with a 24-21 defeat at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final.
Even so, the first season at the helm for head coach Buck Pierce and general manager Ryan Rigmaiden was largely successful. B.C. was one of the hottest teams in the CFL down the stretch, improved their record by two wins, secured a home playoff victory, and finished a first down shy of making the Grey Cup.
The Lions already have several key pieces under contract for next season, including their M.O.P. finalist quarterback Nathan Rourke, M.O.D.P. finalist pass rusher Mathieu Betts, and two-time All-CFL receiver Justin McInnis. However, much of the rest of the roster will need new deals in the coming months, not the least of whom is league-leading receiver Keon Hatcher.
Here is the full list of 27 players whose contracts will expire in February. Please note that “N” denotes nationals (ie. Canadians), “A” denotes Americans, and “G” denotes Globals.
Quarterback
Chase Brice (A)
Jeremiah Masoli (A)
Photo: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
Running back
James Butler (A)
Fullback
Riley Pickett (N)
Receiver
Ayden Eberhardt (A)
Keon Hatcher (A)
Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
Offensive line
Dejon Allen (A)
Jarell Broxton (A)
David Foucault (N)
Andrew Peirson (N)
Chris Schleuger (A)
Defensive line
Nathan Cherry (N)
Jonah Tavai (A)
Sione Teuhema (A)
Linebacker
Adam Auclair (N)
Isaiah Guzylak-Messam (N)
Ben Hladik (N)
Adam Konar (N)
Maxime Rouyer (G)
Josh Woods (A)
Photo courtesy: David Friederich/B.C. Lions
Defensive back
Jalon Edwards-Cooper (A)
Joshua Hagerty (N)
Ronald Kent Jr. (A)
T.J. Lee (A)
Garry Peters (A)
Specialist
Sean Whyte (N)
Kyle Nelson (N)
It should be noted that players who finish the season on the practice roster automatically become free agents. This means that running back Jordan Terrell (A), receivers Isaiah Winstead (A) and Hergy Mayala (A), offensive linemen Alex Berwick (N), Tyran Hunt (A), and Brandon Yates (A), defensive lineman Anthony Bennett (N), linebackers Jeremy Lewis (A) and Devin Richardson (A), defensive back Marquise Bridges (A), and kicker Ross Bolger (G) are free to join any other team.