At the end of the 2022 season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats decided to trade with the Calgary Stampeders to obtain the contract rights to Bo Levi Mitchell. That decision opened the door to speculation about Hamilton’s plan for quarterback Dane Evans. However, there were doubts about whether or not the Tiger-Cats would be able to sign Mitchell when they traded for his rights successfully, so it made sense for the Tiger-Cats to hold onto Dane Evans.

In January, Hamilton officially announced they had signed Bo Levi Mitchell to a three-year contract. With Bo Levi Mitchell and Dane Evans both receiving starting quarterback salaries, the speculation about the Tiger-Cats making a move to send Evans to another team took on a life of its own. Hamilton ended that speculation by agreeing to trade Evans to the BC Lions for a conditional 4th-round CFL Draft pick in 2024.

Turnovers were the overwhelming theme for Evan’s 2022 season as the starting quarterback. Evans struggled to make big plays during crucial moments in close games. During the 2022 season, Evans threw for 3,883 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he also threw 16 interceptions and had several fumbles. During his 63-game career with the Tiger-Cats, Evans had produced 8,807 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions. He also was a key factor during the Tiger-Cats trips to the Grey Cup championship game in 2019 and 2021.

Until the 2022 season at Hamilton, Evan’s built his reputation as a backup quarterback who could consistently pick up first downs in short-yardage situations and lead the Tiger-Cats offence coming off the bench. The BC Lions expect Evans to compete for their backup quarterback position. He will compete with Dominique Davis and Vad Lee as the backup quarterback, with Vernon Adams Jr. starting at quarterback.

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