Bomber Report – Winnipeg Free Press

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said Tuesday that it’s clear general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea tried to address the club’s deficiencies with the team’s off-season signings.

‘We’re in it to win it this year’

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Zach Collaros should be one happy camper these days.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers started the off-season by hiring his pal Tommy Condell to be the club’s new offensive co-ordinator, then went on a massive spending spree in free agency to acquire offensive lineman Jarell Broxton, defensive tackle Jake Ceresna, receivers Tim White and Tommy Nield, cornerback Jonathan Moxey, and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox.

It’s safe to say the veteran quarterback is a huge fan of the work general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea have done in recent months.

“I don’t know if it’s a statement, but for myself, being a little longer in the tooth in this game, and some of the other guys that have been here for a long period of time, I think it just sends a message like, ‘Hey, we’re trying to win now. We want to continue competing for Western championships and competing for Grey Cups,’” said Collaros, who’s in Winnipeg this week for marketing obligations with the club.

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Heywood Yu / The Canadian Press Files
Drew Wolitarsky was released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after seven seasons with the team.

‘Heart and soul’ receiver retires with final salute to Winnipeg

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‘Heart and soul’ receiver retires with final salute to Winnipeg

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

Drew Wolitarsky didn’t get a fairytale ending to his playing career.

Released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after seven seasons with the team, the receiver from Santa Clarita, Calif., spent 2025 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where injuries limited him to two games.

“Ohhh… man, that was the hardest year, probably, of my career. No, not even ‘probably.’ It was the hardest year of my career,” Wolitarsky said in a Zoom call on Thursday while vacationing on Madeira Island in Portugal.

While every athlete dreams of being showered with championship confetti and champagne on their way out, Wolitarsky got perhaps the next best thing: the Bombers signed the 30-year-old to a one-day contract Thursday so he could properly retire as a member of the organization that means the most to him.

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Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Tommy Nield carries the ball against Montreal Alouettes’ Najee Murray during the 112th Grey Cup, in Winnipeg last November. Nield, a 26-year-old from Guelph, Ont., recently signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in free agency.

Tommy Touchdown ready for takeoff with Blue

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Tommy Touchdown ready for takeoff with Blue

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

Tommy Nield has already caught some flak from Riderville for leaving for their Prairie rival.

“(Jermarcus Hardrick) called me a traitor,” said Nield with a laugh in a Zoom call with the Free Press.

“But obviously, he’s one of the guys that only had good things to say about this place. At the end of the day, he was happy for me.”

Nield, a 26-year-old receiver from Guelph, Ont., recently signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in free agency that will reportedly pay him $175,000 in 2026 and $187,500 in 2027. The hefty pay bump came his way after a breakout campaign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

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Hall of Fame football player and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Joe Poplawski is at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games to cheer on his daughter-in-law, U.S. cross-country skier Jessie Diggins. From left: Wade, Darlene and Joe Poplawski.

Cross-country ski history a family affair for Poplawski

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Cross-country ski history a family affair for Poplawski

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

MILAN — Joe Poplawski experienced plenty of surreal moments during his professional football career. The proud Winnipegger — one of the most popular Winnipeg Blue Bombers players in franchise history — has a trophy case filled with accolades.

But nothing prepared the Hall of Fame wide receiver for what he witnessed this week in Italy: watching his daughter-in-law gut through a painful injury and still climb the podium at the Winter Olympics in the women’s 10-kilometre interval start free cross-country skiing event.

“Just an incredible event to witness,” he told the Free Press on Friday. “I’ll tell you what, I sure was pumped after she ended up winning bronze.”

At this point, you might be saying, ‘Wait — Canada didn’t medal in that event.’ And that’s true. Jessie Diggins was born in Saint Paul, Minn., and while she holds dual citizenship after once living in Thunder Bay, Ont., she competes internationally for the United States.

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Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Jarell Broxton is interviewed by reporters at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday after the Blue Bombers signed the offensive lineman in CFL free agency earlier in the week.

Bombers offer caught lineman off guard

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Bombers offer caught lineman off guard

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

Jarell Broxton didn’t become the CFL’s highest paid American offensive lineman overnight.

It was a long, long journey for the 32-year-old from Maryland — one of the newest members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — to get here.

His pro career started with his hometown Baltimore Ravens. He got some pre-season action and spent 2016 on the practice roster before being let go. Two years later, he was back in Baltimore, only this time with the city’s Arena Football League squad called the Brigade. After a lone season indoors, he signed with the Bombers in Feb. 2020 only to soon find out that there wouldn’t be a season that year.

He then went to the B.C. Lions in 2021, only to suffer a torn bicep in his CFL debut on Aug. 28 against the Ottawa Redblacks.

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Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters on free agency status quo: “that eventually bites you in the ass.”

Status quo wasn’t getting it done, Bombers GM admits

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Status quo wasn’t getting it done, Bombers GM admits

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

It was around this time last year when diehards in Bomberland were left wondering the same thing.

‘That’s it?’

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were gearing up to host the 2025 Grey Cup and yet their free agency class consisted of defensive end James Vaughters, running back Peyton Logan and receivers Dillon Mitchell and Jerreth Sterns.

The lack of difference makers in that group, along with superstar receiver Kenny Lawler and standout Canadian corner Tyrell Ford walking out the door, led to a fourth-place finish in the West and an opening round playoff loss.

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Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox (left) goes to tackle Calgary Stampeders’ Jalen Philpot last season. Santos-Knox signed a one-year deal with his former team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on Tuesday.

‘My heart was always wanting to get back to Winnipeg’

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‘My heart was always wanting to get back to Winnipeg’

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

It wasn’t easy for Jovan Santos-Knox to watch the Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin their Grey Cup run the year after he left.

It stung even more in 2021, when the linebacker and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell 33-25 in overtime on their home field to those same Bombers in the championship game.

“To have it that close and to be just there, I’ve been itching for that feeling of being able to hoist it,” Santos-Knox told reporters in a Zoom call early Wednesday.

“And just seeing my friends do it, too, it’s tough all those years seeing all your buddies from Winnipeg hoist it up. You’re like, ‘Hey, wish I could be part of that.’”

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

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‘Hoping to be here for a long time’

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‘Hoping to be here for a long time’

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

Zach Collaros had a simple recruiting pitch for Jake Ceresna.

The two-time CFL all-star defensive lineman was on the open market and the quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers reached out with a proposition.

“Zach’s saying, ‘Hey, how about you join my team and stop hitting me?’” revealed Ceresna in a Tuesday morning presser at Princess Auto Stadium.

While that didn’t exactly sway Ceresna, it certainly helped that Collaros, and others like running back Brady Oliveira, made it clear that they wanted him in blue and gold. Once he did sign, the messages began to flood in from names like left tackle Stanley Bryant, defensive back Deatrick Nichols, and new defensive line coach Jake Thomas.

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Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

Eric Gay / The Associated Press Files
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Running back J.J. Taylor who played six seasons in the NFL including with Houston Texans.

Bombers sign veteran NFL running back

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Bombers sign veteran NFL running back

Taylor Allen 2 minute read Monday, Feb. 2, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed a veteran NFL running back on Monday.

American J.J. Taylor joins the Blue and Gold after six seasons down south between the New England Patriots (2020-23) and Houston Texans (2024-25). The 28-year-old appeared in 17 games and had 62 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns, along with eight receptions for 20 yards.

During his four-year collegiate career at Arizona, Taylor recorded 3,263 rushing yards on 587 carries and 18 touchdowns in 49 games.

The Bombers also inked two more Americans in wide receiver Dorian Singer and linebacker Micah Cretsinger.

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Monday, Feb. 2, 2026

ETHAN CAIRNS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Dalton Schoen

Bombers not re-signing receiver Schoen

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Bombers not re-signing receiver Schoen

Taylor Allen 3 minute read Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will not be re-signing star receiver Dalton Schoen, sources tell the Free Press.

The pending free agent isn’t expected to be ready for game action until the fall as he’s still recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. Schoen tore the ACL in Calgary back on July 3, rehabbed for six weeks, and attempted to play through it in the Labour Day Classic in Regina before realizing it wasn’t doable.

Schoen, 29, tore that same ACL in 2024 and has played just eight games these past two seasons.

Despite the setback, the Overland Park, Kan., product has hired a CFL agent and intends on playing again once fully healed.

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Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Jarell Broxton was a CFL all-star at left tackle with the B.C. Lions last season.

Bombers sign Broxton and Ceresna

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Bombers sign Broxton and Ceresna

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have landed two of the biggest free agents on the market.

The Free Press was first to report early Sunday the Bombers agreed to terms with standout tackle Jarell Broxton on a two-year contract worth $250,000 annually that will make him the highest paid American offensive lineman in the CFL.

Two hours later, the Blue and Gold made another massive splash with the addition of defensive lineman Jake Ceresna on a two-year deal that will pay him $235,000 in 2026 (including a $120,000 signing bonus) and $255,000 in 2027.

The CFL’s legal tampering window opened Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. Pending free agents can agree to terms on contracts with new teams during this time before officially signing on Feb. 10.

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Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026

MATT PACKWOOD / BRANDON SUN FILES
Carberry’s Braden Calvert is still searching for his first Brier appearance, having lost back-to-back provincial finals to Reid Carruthers.

Skip Calvert hopes third time’s the charm at curling provincials

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Skip Calvert hopes third time’s the charm at curling provincials

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

Braden Calvert couldn’t stick around for the entirety of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ont.

After cheering on Team Beth Peterson — skipped by his wife Kelsey Calvert — in person during the opening days of the event, it was time to retreat to Carberry for farm chores and some last minute preparations for next week’s Manitoba men’s curling provincials in Selkirk (Feb. 3-8).

Watching Kelsey compete on the national stage elicits far more nerves for Calvert than when he’s on the ice — even when he’s battling to earn a trip to the Brier.

“I think it’s probably a thousand times harder to watch than actually play. When I’m playing, I feel in control and everything’s good. But in about an hour, I’m going to be a wreck watching them on the TV here,” Calvert told the Free Press early Thursday, prior to Team Peterson’s 8-5 afternoon loss to Kerri Einarson in the 1B vs. 2A playoff. The result dropped Peterson to the B-side where she will now have to beat Alberta’s Selena Sturmay at 7 p.m. tonight in an elimination game.

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Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

Peter Power / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
The Hamilton Tiger Cats released three-time CFL all-star receiver Tim White on Monday after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed him to a one-year deal on Wednesday.

All-star receiver welcomed in Winnipeg after Hamilton exit

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Preview

All-star receiver welcomed in Winnipeg after Hamilton exit

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026

Tim White didn’t anticipate becoming the newest member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The three-time CFL all-star receiver was released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension.

Several teams reached out to the 31-year-old’s agent shortly thereafter before the Bombers swooped in and inked him to a one-year deal on Wednesday.

“Winnipeg really came in last minute,” said White in a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday.

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Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026

Hamilton Tiger-Cats wide receiver Tim White (12) runs downfield as Toronto Argonauts linebacker Jack Cassar (45) defends during second half CFL football action in Toronto on Friday, August 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Bombers sign receiver Tim White

Christopher Katsarov / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed former Hamilton Tiger-Cats wide receiver Tim White to a one-year contract. 1 minute read Preview

Bombers sign receiver Tim White

Christopher Katsarov / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed former Hamilton Tiger-Cats wide receiver Tim White to a one-year contract. 1 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed All-CFL receiver Tim White to a one-year contract.

White was released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday ahead of the free agent market opening on Feb. 10.

White, 31, appeared in 83 games over his five seasons with the Ticats and has posted four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, including pulling in 84 passes for 1,016 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

He was named All-CFL three times (2022, 2023, 2024) and East Division All-CFL on four occasions (2021-24).

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Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Willie Jefferson re-signed with the team Thursday. The defensive lineman is chasing franchise and CFL records.

Bombers’ Jefferson wants to solidify his legacy in Blue and Gold

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Bombers’ Jefferson wants to solidify his legacy in Blue and Gold

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

How close Willie Jefferson came to wearing a different jersey in 2026 might never be uncovered, but it’s an outcome he at least considered.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers star pass rusher revealed Friday that returning for a seventh season with the Blue and Gold — and 12th in the CFL — proved more challenging than it has been in other years, something that was made evident by the timing of his deal earlier this week.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old had never signed a contract this late in the off-season since becoming a member of the Bombers, and that was for a couple of reasons.

It took longer for the club and Jefferson — who represents himself in contract talks — to reach a mutual agreement on a salary, and the defensive end also claimed he wasn’t in a hurry either.

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Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files
Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo (right) went 28-for-56 on three-point attempts last season while punter Jamieson Sheahan (left) enjoyed a career year with a 47.8-yard average, the second highest in franchise history.

Bombers’ Castillo, Sheahan praise organization after signing extensions

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Preview

Bombers’ Castillo, Sheahan praise organization after signing extensions

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026

A kicker and a punter re-signing with their team typically doesn’t warrant a 30-plus minute Zoom call with reporters.

But that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday in a wide-ranging, engaging and thoroughly entertaining chat with Sergio Castillo and Jamieson Sheahan of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The pair of specialists inked extensions with the Blue and Gold — two years for Castillo, one for Sheahan — on Monday.

In typical Castillo fashion, he kicked things off with a memorable one-liner.

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Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026

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