Not Lee-ving: veteran DB T.J. Lee re-signs with B.C. Lions

Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions have signed veteran defensive back T.J. Lee to a two-year contract extension, the club announced on Wednesday. He was scheduled to become a free agent next month.

The five-foot-nine, 190-pound cover man has been a mainstay in B.C.’s secondary since he first joined the club in 2014. He is the longest-serving member of the team, making 437 defensive tackles, 30 special teams tackles, 23 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, four sacks, and two touchdowns in 109 games over the past eight seasons.

“It’s an honour to be staying with the only franchise I’ve ever known and one that believed in me from day one,” said Lee in a statement. “My family and I are all grateful for the opportunity to remain a part of the community and on the field. We are building something special. It’s a great collective group of players and staff members.”

The 31-year-old made 53 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble over 15 starts at boundary halfback in 2022. He is only eight tackles shy of Barrin Simpson for fifth all-time in team history and needs two more interceptions to tie Eric Carter and Ken Hinton for tenth in the club’s record book.

Lee was named a CFL all-star in 2018, a West Division all-star in 2019 and 2021, and B.C.’s nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2019. He was a three-time All-Big Sky selection during his college career at Eastern Washington.