The B.C. Lions remain open to a reunion with former all-star receiver Alexander Hollins after losing a CFLPA grievance over the timing of his release.
“The door is not closed,” general manager Bryan Rigmaiden told the media on Thursday. “Let me say this, we love what he’s done for us over the last few years. He’s a heck of a player. Things are ongoing. We’re considering every option. It’s an ongoing matter with the league, the PA and his agent. I haven’t talked to him in a little while but we have talked to his agent and everything’s on the table.”
Hollins was cut by the team on January 30 prior to receiving a $75,000 offseason bonus. He was deemed unfit to play at the time of the transaction by a neutral physician after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in December. As veteran players cannot be released while injured, an arbiter ruled in favour of a grievance filed by the Players’ Association on behalf of the receiver and ordered the Lions to pay out his bonus in full.
That has led to speculation that the two sides could be forced back together, as the Lions have now sunk a significant amount of money into Hollins and will be wary of paying him to play elsewhere. B.C. could bring him back under the terms of his previous contract, which would pay him $233,800 in hard money next season, or renegotiate his deal to bridge the gap between the 28-year-old and the organization. The latter option would provide security for Hollins and reduce the salary cap strain on the Lions that led to his release.
Rigmaiden revealed that there were conversations between the two sides about re-doing the contract prior to Hollins being cut, similar to what played out with teammate Keon Hatcher. He declined to disclose why a deal wasn’t struck to avoid this situation but indicated that he was not surprised when the grievance was filed.
“I talked to Sasha (Ghavami), his agent, about things moving forward and what we would like to do. I’ll keep that in-house, just in terms of what those conversations were,” he said. “We’re not surprised about anything but these things do happen. He’s a great kid. We’d love to have him if everything fits with us moving forward, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Hollins was one of the CFL’s top receivers in 2023, recording 78 receptions for 1,173 yards and nine touchdowns en route to a West Division all-star selection. He got off to a blazing hot start in 2024 but fell off down the stretch while battling drops and knee problems, finishing with 61 receptions for 937 yards and six touchdowns.
Sources indicate that the Yazoo City, Miss. native would have no issue returning to B.C. despite his awkward exit but the finances have to work for both sides. Rigmaiden has previously stated that Hollins is “probably the best route runner in the league” when healthy, but will weigh all the implications before determining if they’ll bring him back.
“We’d like to (make a decision) within the next few weeks, just come up with a plan that makes sense for us,” he said. “There’s a lot of irons in the fire on something like this and so we’ve got to talk about it with our president. We’ll come up with an answer here and move forward.”
The Lions will open their 2025 regular season — with or without Hollins — by hosting the Edmonton Elks at BC Place in Vancouver on Saturday, June 7 with kickoff slated for 10:00 p.m. ET.
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