Former Flathead High School quarterback Mike Reilly has signed a four-year contract worth $2.9 million to rejoin the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions, the club announced on Tuesday.
A two-time Grey Cup champion, Reilly, 34, was the 2015 Grey Cup Most Valuable Player and the 2017 CFL Most Outstanding Player during an exemplary six-year stint with the Edmonton Eskimos. The 6-foot-3 Reilly began his CFL career with the Lions, serving as a backup when BC won the 2011 Grey Cup before being traded to the Eskimos in 2013 and becoming a full-time starter.
The 2019 season will be Reilly’s 10th in the CFL and his new four-year contract will give him ample time to cement his place in the CFL record books. Reilly has thrown for 27,625 passing yards (18th in league history) and 144 touchdowns, almost all of which came during his six years in Edmonton.
Reilly spent just one season as Flathead’s quarterback after beginning his high school career in Kennewick, Washington and thrived despite starting the year on the bench, setting a school record with 2,280 passing yards and leading the Braves to the Class AA semifinals. After a year at Washington State University, Reilly was outstanding at Division II Central Washington, setting nearly every school passing record during his four-year career.
The Lions are based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and begin the 2019 regular season on June 15 at Winnipeg. Reilly will rematch against his former team in Edmonton six days later.
