Lions' Reilly announces retirement after 11 seasons

BC Lions quarterback Michael Reilly is retiring after 11 seasons, the team announced Monday.

Reilly, 36, played in 168 career CFL games, including 69 with the Lions. He won Grey Cups with the Lions in 2011 and the Edmonton Elks in 2015, and he led the league in passing yards four separate times.

"Michael will go down as one of the great players and people our football club and league has ever seen," Lions co-general manager/director of football operations Neil McEvoy said.

McEvoy added: "From his arrival midway through the 2010 season to scrapping his way to make our squad in 2011 training camp with a quarterback room that included Travis Lulay and Jarious Jackson, his drive to compete and win is something all young professionals should aspire to."

Reilly was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2017 after racking up career highs with 5,830 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also a three-time CFL All-Star.

Reilly's 34,805 career passing yards place him 14th on the league's all-time list. He joined Doug Flutie and Anthony Calvillo as the only passers to surpass the 5,000-yard passing mark in three consecutive seasons (2016-18).