The Best Fit For Jarious Jackson Is The BC Lions
Posted by at 1:10 pmAfter waiting through the free agency period for opportunities to arise, quarterback Jarious Jackson could be on the verge of returning to the BC Lions. According to reports today, the 33 year old Jackson could sign with the Lions as early as today.
The Lions had expressed interest throughout the offseason in bringing the veteran back to BC as a back up to QB Travis Lulay, even offering a substantial contract to Jackson. According to Wally Buono, Jackson was “tantalized” with the opportunity to be a starting quarterback, something the Lions were not prepared to hand him, and Jackson began to look elsewhere around the league.
The Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg both showed interest, although only the Argos were willing to talk about Jackson being a starter. The Argos reportedly wanted Jackson to workout so they could test his arm strength after a shoulder injury limited Jackson to just parts of two games with the Lions in 2010.
In the meantime, BC had contact with retired QB Stephan Lefors about a return to the CFL but Lefors was reluctant to return to the field. BC has also had discussions this week with 37 year old Kerry Joseph about being a back up to Lulay. This may have prompted Jackson to reconsider his options and spark up talks with the Lions again.
Jackson had been handling his own negotiations but has since hired agent Dan Vertlieb. Vertlieb said on Wednesday that Jackson is “100%” healthy right now and that “the severity of his (shoulder) injury was over-emphasized.” He also stated that Jacksons decision isn’t all about starting and is looking for the best fit.
Our guess is that Jackson was enamored with finding a spot around the league where he could start but after looking around saw that the interest was just not there. And financially BC was also the safest destination for him, as they are reportedly offering Jackson $140,000 including signing bonus, which is a good salary for a back up.
As for on the field, Jackson knows BC system and playbook and would have to learn an entirely new system if he left the Lions which would put him behind. Travis Lulay is also not a proven set in stone CFL quarterback and if he falters, Buono would not hesitate to go to a healthy Jarious Jackson.
In the end, Jackson should see that the west coast gives him the best opportunity to play and succeed.
