The BC Lions have announced the signing of wide receiver Shawn Gore, keeping him off the free agent market.

“I am very happy that Shawn has re-signed with our club rather than explore free agency,” said vice president of football operations and GM Wally Buono. “He is a young and very exciting receiver who I believe will give all of us many great moments in the future.”

Gore is entering his fourth season with the Lions after being selected in the second round (10^th overall) in the 2010 Canadian Draft.

 “Shawn is an outstanding player who works extremely hard each and every day,” said Lions head coach Mike Benevides. “I believe we’ve only seen a fraction of Shawn’s potential and we are all excited at the prospect of him developing into one of our league’s premier talents.”  

 The speedy wideout led the Lions with 722 receiving yards and was second with 62 catches in 18 games.

“I’m very excited to re-sign with the Lions and I feel like the sky is the limit for our club,” said Gore. “Being part of this community has been an amazing experience and I’m thrilled at the prospect of continuing my career as a Lion.”

In another move, the Lions traded the rights to backup quarterback Mike Reilly to the Edmonton Eskimos for a conditional draft pick. 

Reilly is scheduled to become a free agent on February 15.