Canadian Press

Ryan Phillips was willing to forgive the BC Lions on Thursday, but he won't soon forget his difficult experience with CFL free agency.

The 29-year-old defensive back had hoped to re-sign with the Grey Cup champions before free agency opened Wednesday, and expressed his disappointment publicly just before the deadline passed. But he was happy to be back in the Lions' fold after signing on the first day he was available to go elsewhere.

"Nobody wants to go through this period,'' said Phillips. "This is my first time ever experiencing free agency. I've never done it before and, hopefully, I'll never have to do it again.''

Phillips negotiated his own contract with general manager Wally Buono. But if there comes a time when he is a free agent again, the Seattle native will likely hire an agent.

The five-foot-10 and 195-pound halfback is entering his eighth season with the Lions. The two-time CFL All-Star has appeared in 126 games for BC while recording 320 defensive tackles and 31 interceptions, including five returned for touchdowns.

"I just forgive,'' said Phillips. "At the end of the day, I'm a BC Lion. That's what I came into the league as, and that's what I want to retire as.''

Praising Phillips for his football skills as well as his community work, Buono expressed no hard feelings about the player's criticism of the delay in signing him.

"When you negotiate, there's always a little bit of gain and a little bit of pain, so I'm good with that,'' Buono said. "I think (Phillips) feels good at where he's at. The kind of person his, the kind of player he is, I think he's a big asset.''

Phillips said everything fell into place quickly once negotiations began. He was "grateful'' to sign when he did, because around the time he was doing a media availability the Lions announced they signed free agent defensive back Byron Parker away from the Toronto Argonauts.

Parker, a seven-year CFL veteran who has been named an All-Star three times, recorded a career-high 50 tackles and five interceptions while appearing in all 18 regular-season games for the Argos in 2011. The 30-year-old Madisonville, Ky., native is also the league's all-time leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns with nine.

"I expect (Parker) to be the best wide-side cornerback in the league,'' said coach Mike Benevides. "History tells you a little bit about the future, and he's always been able to make a quarterback pay.''

Two days earlier, the Lions signed defensive back Lin-J Shell away from Toronto. But Buono and Benevides said there is room for all of the defensive backs under contract.

"You don't go fishing for a Shell and a Parker,'' said Buono. "And why? Because the defensive coordinator (Rich Stubler, who replaced Benevides) and the head coach are different. They're changing what they're doing. So these players fit into what we're doing.''

Meanwhile, the Lions also signed free agent Canadian running back Stu Foord away from the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thursday.

Since turning pro in 2008, Foord has appeared in 71 games over four seasons with Saskatchewan. The former Regina Thunder junior standout has rushed for  312 yards on 56 career carries while contributing another 122 yards on 12 receptions and 566 yards on 33 kickoff returns.

The Lions convinced Foord, a 26-year-old Regina native who has been used primarily on special teams, to leave his hometown team for the lure of backing up tailback Andrew Harris.

Foord's signing became more urgent for BC after 25-year-old Canadian running back Jamall Lee retired last week to go into social work. The club already had Foord on its radar in case Lee, who was a pending free agent, chose to sign with another team.

Benevides praised Buono for continuing to make his upcoming first season easier by signing veterans. He said Phillips' skill sets and ability to perform speak for themselves while the newcomers add "experience that can make plays.''

With the latest signings, the Lions have filled virtually all of their needs on both sides of the football. They caught a couple of breaks when defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell opted to return rather than sign with the NFL's Miami Dolphins and offensive tackle Jovan Olafioye had a deal with the St. Louis Rams rescinded because of a medical issue.