Dallas Cowboys Nichols attended training camp with the
Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted
free agent in
2010 and appeared in two pre-season games, recording 10 completions in 16 attempts for 81 yards and two interceptions. He was released on August 19.
Edmonton Eskimos Nichols was signed as a free agent by the
Edmonton Eskimos of the
Canadian Football League on October 13, 2010. Nichols spent the next three games on the practice roster before being released on November 2. On February 4, 2011, he was re-signed by Edmonton through the end of the 2012 season. In the playoffs of the
2012 CFL season Nichols sustained a devastating broken leg injury. He worked hard all off-season in order to be able to play for the
2013 CFL season. Entering the 2013 CFL season Nichols was in open competition with
Mike Reilly for the starting quarterback job. Nichols was awarded the start for the first preseason game on June 14, 2013. However, he left the game early on after attempting to tackle a player after throwing an interception. The tests revealed that he had
torn ACL and required surgery; this caused him to miss the entire 2013 season. In the offseason, Nichols was signed to a two-year contract extension through the
2015 CFL season.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers during a pre-season game in 2016 Nichols was traded to the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on September 2, 2015. Nichols played in numerous games for the Bombers in 2015, due in large part to various injuries to starting quarterback
Drew Willy. Nichols started the
2016 season as the backup to Drew Willy, however following a 1–4 start to the season head-coach Mike O'Shea announced that Nichols would be the starting quarterback for their week 6 match-up against Edmonton. In 2016, Nichols began his tenure as the Bombers starting quarterback with 7 wins in a row propelling the Bombers to a record of 8–4. The Bombers would finish the season with a record of 11–7, finishing 3rd place in the Western Division. In the playoffs the Bombers were unable to hold onto a 19-point lead over the
BC Lions, falling 32–31 thus ending their 2016 campaign. Drew Willy was traded in the middle of the season, and veteran quarterback
Kevin Glenn was released in January 2017, confirming the Bombers belief that he could be their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. This sentiment was reinforced when they signed him to a 3-year contract extension on January 18, 2017. Nichols had a breakout
2017 season, setting career highs in every major category (attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns). Nichols led the Bombers to a 12-6 record, clinching a home playoff game; however, the team was defeated by the Eskimos in the first round. During the lead up to the start of the
2018 season Nichols suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice, and it was announced he would miss four to six weeks, returning in four as he made his 2018 debut on July 7 against the
BC Lions. Nichols had a strong season for the Blue Bombers, leading the team to a record of 10-8 and a playoff berth. The Bombers advanced to the West division finals after defeating the
Saskatchewan Roughriders 23-18 on the road, but was unable to overcome the
Calgary Stampeders who went on to win the
106th Grey Cup. Nichols was having an outstanding
2019 season and was leading the league in touchdown passes (15) and passer rating (107.2), but suffered an upper-body injury in Week 10 against the
BC Lions which caused him to be placed on the six-game injured reserve. On September 26, 2019, it was revealed that Nichols underwent shoulder surgery which meant that he would remain sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 season. Teammate
Chris Streveler took over the helm and the Bombers traded for
Zach Collaros; these two quarterbacks would go on to help the team win their first championship in 29 years at the
107th Grey Cup. Collaros was signed to a two-year extension in January 2020 following the Grey Cup and the team released Nichols early on January 28, 2020 so that he could find a role as a starter in the CFL.
Toronto Argonauts Nichols signed with the
Toronto Argonauts to a three-year contract on February 7, 2020. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the
2020 CFL season and, following a contract renegotiation dispute, was released on January 31, 2021.
Ottawa Redblacks in 2021|thumb A few hours after being released by Toronto, Nichols signed with the
Ottawa Redblacks, who subsequently released quarterback
Nick Arbuckle. Nichols and the Redblacks offense struggled in their season opener, scoring only three field goals with Nichols only managing 72 passing yards on 20 attempts. Nichols and the Redblacks continued to struggle in the subsequent weeks, culminating with Nichols being benched in Week 5 in favour of
Dominique Davis. Nichols came in to replace an infective Davis in the third quarter of the team's Week 8 loss to the Tiger-Cats, however he had to be taken out of the game after suffering a wrist injury. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 8, 2022. He officially retired in July of 2022. ==CFL career statistics==