They say winter in Alberta doesn’t end until May long weekend, and for good reason.
April has seen several days of light snow or flurries, with the latest snowstorm hitting the city on Apr. 15 and dropping around 25 centimetres of snow over a 24-hour period.
So, when Vernon Adams Jr. and a few teammates were determining where to conduct a players-only mini-camp this spring, it was an easy decision to trade out Calgary’s predictably unpredictable weather for California’s palm trees and sandy beaches.
“When I reached out to all the receivers I said, ‘Hey, guys, where do you guys want to do a mini-camp at? We can either do it in Tacoma, where I live, we can do it in Calgary, or we can do it in one of the hot states.’
“Everybody said, ‘Let’s go to a hot state, because it’s going to be snowing in Calgary,’ which it was, and so we went to Cali,” said Adams.
The group consisted of himself and fellow quarterback Josh Love, as well as running back Dedrick Mills and receivers Clark Barnes, Reggie Begelton, Dejon Brissett, Erik Brooks, Vyshonne Janusas, Tevin Jones and Jalen Philpot.
Rookie Stampeder receivers Jeff Foreman and Jeremiah Hunter, who simultaneously signed their first contracts on Jan. 5, also joined the group in The Golden State.
The 33-year-old CFL veteran in Adams has previously held private off-season camps in Tacoma, Wash., inviting his Montreal Alouettes teammates in 2022 and his BC Lions teammates in 2023 and 2024.
“It was amazing,” said Adams. “Reggie and I, we debriefed at the end, and he was asking me, ‘How does this one compare to all your other ones?’ And honestly, it was the best one.”
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From Apr. 8-12, the group gathered at The Togethership, an independent private school and sports academy in San Clemente. The days consisted of offensive install meetings, workout sessions, on-field practices and a youth football camp for students from the school.
Off the field, the group spent time getting to know each other at team dinners and events such as bowling and a Bible study.
“We get to see where we are physically and mentally, a month before training camp,” said Adams. “Once we leave the mini-camp, we have a month to work on whatever we need to work on. If I was off on some throws, I need to go back and say, ‘Okay, this is how Clarky runs his route or this is how Jalen runs his route, and I need to be better here, so I get to work on that.’ And vice versa.
“We get to work on the chemistry on and off the field. Us vets, we get to polish some things that we’ve already started, and the young guys got to learn from the vets.”
It was the first time VA got to work with Foreman and Hunter, both of whom used up this time to soak up as much information as they could before rookie camp opens on May 6.
Foreman was previously signed as an undrafted free agent by the Las Vegas Raiders and played 58 games over five years at Arkansas State. The six-foot receiver accumulated 104 catches for 2,067 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Red Wolves.
Hunter played his first three collegiate seasons at California-Berkeley and had 144 catches for 2,084 yards and 13 touchdowns in 33 games played. The six-foot-two receiver played his senior season at Washington, seeing action in 13 games. He had 36 catches for 490 yards and one touchdown. He attended rookie camp of the Chicago Bears in 2025.
“They were very attentive in our install meetings and asked a bunch of questions and really wanted to learn,” said Adams. “They got to learn from the vets who were there, and they got to learn how to hit a waggle that they’d never done before, and just little things like that.
“They fit right in. They were funny guys as well. It was good to have them there and for them to learn and get a head start on the Canadian Football League.”
The mini-camp also gave the seasoned quarterback an opportunity to work with newly added receiver Dejon Brissett, who the team signed in free agency this past February.
“I’m really excited about Dejon,” said Adams. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a veteran. He’s won the Grey Cup two times and was named a Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian. He came in ready to work.
“We got some good timing throws together, and I’m very excited for him. He’s going to be a good player for us this year, and he brings that veteran leadership and Grey Cup experience that he adds to the table.”
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While the club was quieter in the free agency market this year, they prioritized retaining their core from last season and signed multiple players to multi-year contracts, including the three-year extension of 2025 All-CFL defensive end Clarence Hicks and a two-year extension for interception-leader Adrian Greene who was already under contract for the 2026 season.
The most recent extension came this week with a two-year contract that keeps reliable guard Zack Williams in Calgary through 2028, as he was already signed for 2026.
“Continuity is great, especially with the Grey Cup being here, I think it’s really good to have the same guys to build off last year,” said Adams.
“We lost three great players to the NFL, but for the most part, we got all the foundational players back.”
The end of the 2025 campaign saw the Stampeders finish with an 11-7 record and a return to the post-season after missing for the first time in two decades the year prior.
In his first season as a Stampeder, Vernon Adams Jr. played in 17 games and recorded 4,247 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Heading into his second year in Calgary, the path to get to the Grey Cup for the nine-year vet is clear.
“We set the standard last year, we got 10 plus wins, and that’s the standard,” said Adams. “That’s what we’re aiming for again and even better. I think having a majority of the guys coming back, that’s going to help. And it being my second year in the offence as well, I think it’s going to help as well.”
The official start of CFL training camp is Sunday, May 10 and the Stampeders hit the field for their first taste of game action at McMahon Stadium for a pre-season tilt against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Victoria Day Monday, May 18 at 1 p.m. MT.
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