Vernon Adams

Adams began the 2019 season as the Als' backup quarterback behind Antonio Pipkin. However, after Pipkin suffered a leg injury early in the season Adams was announced the starting quarterback. Adams went on to start the next five games for the Alouettes, playing very well, winning three games in a row before suffering a concussion against the Redblacks in Week 8. Adams returned from injury in Week 10 and led the Alouettes to a come-from-behind victory over the defending champion Calgary Stampeders. Adams continued his stellar play late into the season, leading the Alouettes to multiple come-from-behind victories, propelling his team to second place in the East Division with a record of 7-5. However, in one of those victories Adams ripped the helmet of Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill off his head and then swung the helmet at Bighill's head. The play resulted in Adams being suspended for one game by the CFL, which he did not appeal. With a playoff spot locked up several weeks before the season ended, Adams was named the team's Most Outstanding Player.

During the off-season, Adams was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on February 2, 2018, for linebacker Charleston Hughes. On June 7, 2018 it was reported that Adams was about to be traded; however, that never materialized and he returned to the Ti-Cats as a wide receiver. Adams never played a game for Hamilton; on June 21, 2018 Adams was one of three players released by the Tiger-Cats.

On June 26, 2018 Adams was re-signed by the Montreal Alouettes. Adams started for the Alouettes in the team's Week 7 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos, completing 15 of 28 pass attempts for 217 yards with one interception, along with 72 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. He replaced Johnny Manziel the following week following Manziel's interception-plagued CFL debut, and scored another rushing touchdown, but was subsequently listed as out "two to six weeks with a foot injury". Adams missed the rest of the year, but was signed a two-year contract extension with the Alouettes on October 28, 2018 alongside several other quarterbacks.

On August 15, 2017, Adams, along with the Alouettes' fifth round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft, was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for Tevaughn Campbell, a third round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft and a third round pick in the 2019 CFL Draft. With the Roughriders, Adams served as a backup and short yardage rusher, with 3 scores on the ground.

Adams went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft. After the draft, he accepted an invitation to attend the Seattle Seahawks rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis. However, after the mini-camp was finished, the Seahawks decided not to sign Adams. Following that, Adams attended the Washington Redskins rookie mini-camp as a tryout.

On May 18, 2016, the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League revealed that they were negotiating with Adams who was on their negotiation list. Two days later his rights were traded to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for a 1st-round pick in the 2017 CFL Draft. In response, Vernon Adams tweeted "Can't wait to get to Montreal Alouettes. Thank you God." It was announced that Adams had signed with the Alouettes on May 22, 2016 to a three-year contract. On October 22, he started his first game for the Alouettes. Adams started the final three games of the regular season, throwing 4 touchdowns and rushing for another while winning all three games. The Alouettes finished the 2016 season in second last place in the East division with a record of 7–11, missing the playoffs. Adams dressed for the first seven games of the 2017 season as a backup for the Alouettes, and scoring one rushing touchdown.

On February 9, 2015, Adams announced his plans to accept a scholarship to Oregon and transfer for his senior season, choosing to play for the Ducks over remaining at Eastern Washington. However, later that summer it was reported that Adams needed to complete a math course in order to graduate from Eastern Washington University. On August 13, 2015, he passed the math class to graduate from Eastern Washington and officially joined the Oregon Ducks. After just two weeks on campus, Adams was named the starting quarterback on August 28. His first start came against his former team, Eastern Washington. Adams started 10 games and passed for 2,643 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions.

As a junior, Adams passed for 2,333 yards and 22 touchdowns, and also rushed for 367 yards and five scores. He led Alemany to a 10–4 record.

In the Eagles' playoff loss to Sam Houston State, Adams came off of the bench in the second half, completing 14-of-26 passes for 364 yards and a school-record six touchdowns, nearly rallying the Eagles from a 35–0 halftime deficit.

Entering his sophomore season as the unquestioned starter, Adams catapulted himself onto the national stage when he engineered a 49–46 upset win at #25 Oregon State as he passed for 411 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. For his performance, Adams became the first-ever FCS player to be included in the HeismanPundit.com straw poll.

With a 12–3 record, Adams led the Eagles to the Big Sky Conference Championship and the NCAA Division I Semifinal while being named Big Sky All-Conference 1st Team, Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, and selected as the FCS National Performer of the Year by College Football Performance Awards, the top overall honor given out by the CFPA at the FCS level. He also finished second in the voting for the Walter Payton Award.

Against Washington on September 5, Adams completed 31 of 46 passes for 475 yards and seven touchdowns in a 59–52 loss. The seven touchdowns were the most the Huskies had allowed to an opposing quarterback at home in school history.

Adams graduated from Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, in 2011. In his final two seasons, he passed for 5,234 yards and 49 touchdowns, and rushed for another 1,263 yards and 19 more scores in leading Alemany to an overall record of 22–5.

After redshirting the 2011 season as Eastern Washington's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year, Adams would split time at quarterback with Junior Kyle Padron in 2012. Starting in nine of twelve games, Adams helped lead the Eagles to the FCS playoff semifinals and finished the year with 1,961 yards passing, 20 touchdowns to 8 interceptions and a 160.80 pass efficiency rating, which was the fourth-best mark in the FCS that year.

As a senior, he was selected the Serra League Most Valuable Player after leading the Warriors to the league title in 2010. He earned first team all-league honors for the second-straight season. Alemany won its first 12 games before losing its final game of the season, 28–21, against eventual champion Servite High School in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Playoffs. He passed for 2,901 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and had 896 yards rushing with 14 touchdowns.

Vernon Anthony Adams Jr. (born January 3, 1993) is an American professional Canadian football quarterback who is currently a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles and Oregon Ducks. He has also been a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders.