When TJ Lee addressed the media at the conclusion of the 2024 season, it felt like the BC Lions' longest-tenured player was saying goodbye to the organization — or at least he knew they were saying goodbye to him.
A year and one surprise reunion later, he returned to the podium earlier this month with less obvious emotion, but the future of the franchise is still up in the air.
“I don’t know,” Lee said when asked what was different this time. “There is a lot of uncertainty.”
While the Lions took a significant step forward in 2025, they are right back where they started when it comes to the secondary. Last offseason, the team had to make decisions on two aging defensemen, Lee and Harry Peters. This year, both plan to become free agents againwith no obvious alternatives in the list.
Lee is one of the franchise's most decorated players, a likely future Ring of Honor inductee, and has five career all-star matches to his name. Peters is not far from being the league's top defensive player, winning back-to-back All-CFL selections in 2022 and 2023. But both players are now 34 years old, making their return a risky gamble.
“As these guys get older, yeah, you start to question some things,” general manager Ryan Rigmaiden admitted. “It's only natural that Father Time is undefeated. We'll have those conversations. There are times when all these guys have played at a high level and there are times when they haven't. We'll have to go through that vetting process.”
BC first tried this decision-making process shortly after Rigmaiden was appointed to his current position last December. Peters was returned on a new contractand Lee became eligible to become a free agent after 11 years with the team. This was supposed to be the first step in a youth movement in high school, but it was never implemented properly.
Considering the Lions are 5-7 at midseason Much of the blame lies with defensive problemsLee was re-signed on September 10 after seven months on the street. A week later he was back in the starting lineup. The team won the final six games of the regular season and the Western Semi-Final before ultimately losing the Western Final against Saskatchewan.
Lee had 31 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in five games after coming in fresh, adding nine more tackles and another forced fumble in the playoffs. While several other factors coincided with the start of the Lions' winning streak, fans were quick to point to his return as one of the catalysts.
“His ability to help with communication and leadership in the background has been tremendous,” Rigmaiden said, acknowledging that the team's initial plans for the position didn't pan out as hoped.
“We felt coming out of camp that Robert Carter was going to be the guy, and he was absolutely thrilled about it. We were hoping for a couple more guys, but it didn't happen. Sometimes you have to rely on the vets.”
Although Lee made headlines late, no one was relied on more than Peters as a sophomore. In 16 games, the Clemson product had 49 tackles, a forced fumble and three interceptions. He battled a sprained knee and a torn meniscus in the latter half of the season, but managed to play in both playoff games, making six tackles.
Public opinion still sees Peters as a step behind, but he remains a solid top-half starter in the CFL and earned the ninth-highest grade among defensive backs last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Sources say he will explore all treatment options for his knee this offseason, including surgery or endoscopy, but believes he will be healthy by his 10th training camp.
Lee also appears to be in no rush to retire, even as the inevitable end to his career approaches. He heeded his coaches' advice to be patient last offseason and feels it paid off once his number was called.
“I don't have to make that decision today. All I know is that I won't retire until I feel like I want to,” he said. “I couldn't get hired for the next three years and then I decided to resign. Anyway, as long as I'm happy with it, that's all that matters because I've invested in this job and I deserve to have it on my terms.”
This forces the Lions to once again determine whether any of the players have reached their best or whether they remain the best available options despite the length of their teeth. Either way, expect the scouting focus to be on secondary reinforcements this offseason in hopes of building a more sustainable succession plan.
