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Bomber Report

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Decorated linebacker Adam Bighill was emotional Tuesday at Princess Auto Stadium as he officially hung up his cleats on his CFL career as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

‘Time flies when you’re having fun’: Linebacker Bighill closes chapter on CFL career in Blue and Gold

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2026

Adam Bighill opened his retirement press conference by speaking for nearly 15 minutes straight on his unlikely path to becoming one of the CFL’s all-time greats.

“I grew in small town Washington. I grew up with a cleft lip palate. I grew up with a chip on my shoulder. I grew up in a great family with great parents,” the 37-year-old began.

“And I grew up with a dream. At seven years old, I told my parents I wanted to play professional football. Back then, my favourite player was Jerry Rice, and I was just all in on what it was going to take to be a professional athlete.”

It was an uphill battle from the start, but Bighill always remained undeterred. He was a star running back and linebacker at Montesano High School, but it didn’t seem to matter — scouts and coaches had labelled him as too small and too slow to make it at the next level.

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Quarterback Taylor Elgersma warms up at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis in February. The Bombers signed Elgersma to a rookie contract, Thursday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Bombers sign rookie QB Elgersma

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Bombers sign rookie QB Elgersma

Taylor Allen 2 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

The wait is finally over: Taylor Elgersma is officially a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

The club signed the Canadian quarterback to a standard rookie contract on Thursday (two years plus an option). Elgersma, who was selected in the second round, 18th overall in the 2025 CFL Draft out of Wilfrid Laurier, was most recently with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions but was unable to play due to work visa issues.

He will report to Bombers rookie camp on May 6 and compete with Terry Wilson, as well as fellow CFL newcomers Bryce Perkins and Payton Thorne, for the No. 2 job behind starting pivot Zach Collaros.

Elgersma signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent last year and appeared in three pre-season games, completing 16-of-23 passes for 166 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions, before being released. Instead of joining the Bombers in 2025, he held out hope he’d get another NFL opportunity. He went on to work out for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins but failed to receive a contract offer.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026
Purdue Athletics Photo If offensive lineman Gio Vaccaro is picked first overall at the 2026 CFL Draft, it would be the first time a former Manitoba Bison has ever been selected with the top pick.

Vaccaro ‘fits the bill’

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Preview

Vaccaro ‘fits the bill’

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

When the Canadian Football League Draft begins later this month, the first selection could very well be one of Winnipeg’s own.

With team draft boards coming into focus, there is a growing belief that Gio Vaccaro, the former Manitoba Bisons standout who transferred to Purdue for his final season of college eligibility, will be the first name called on April 28.

“To me, I think that he is certainly one of the first offensive linemen off the board, and it’s not unreasonable that he would be a guy that would get some consideration as the top pick. In terms of what he is physically and athletically, he fits the bill,” TSN draft analyst Duane Forde told the Free Press.

The 6-2, 307-pound guard was a two-time first-team All-Canadian selection and 2024 winner of the J.P. Metras Trophy (awarded to the nation’s top offensive lineman) with the Bisons. Although Vaccaro’s move to the NCAA Power 4 ranks didn’t yield a starting job, he saw time on the Boilermakers’ special teams units and played valuable snaps in the team’s regular-season finale against Indiana — the eventual national champions.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Football Club president and CEO Wade Miller said hosting the 2025 Grey Cup contributed towards the club’s record $12.1 million operating profit.

Bombers 2025 report reveals franchise record operating profit

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Bombers 2025 report reveals franchise record operating profit

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2026

The Winnipeg Football Club has over 12 million reasons to smile.

Their 2025 annual report was released early Wednesday and it revealed an operating profit of $12.1 million — a franchise record.

That number is boosted by the Blue Bombers hosting the 2025 Grey Cup and Grey Cup Festival which resulted in $6.3 million in net revenue. The club also made history by selling out every game — a first in team history — to lead the CFL in attendance for a fourth consecutive year.

“It’s a lot of hard work and it’s been a lot of years of our staff working tremendously hard at each component of our business to create the unbelievable atmosphere on game day that is truly second to none in sports in Canada, in my opinion,” WFC president and CEO Wade Miller told the Free Press.

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Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2026
Ben Massey / University of Louisiana-Lafayette Athletics Winnipeg’s Trae Tomlinson of the Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns says being a bit smaller than a typical college defensive back pushed him to work harder to get where he wanted to go.

Trio developed at St. Paul’s heads to CFL Combine ready to make some noise

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Trio developed at St. Paul’s heads to CFL Combine ready to make some noise

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

When you think of Winnipeggers playing in the CFL, there’s one local high school that should immediately come to mind: Oak Park.

Andrew Harris, Nic Demski and Brady Oliveira all picked up steam during their time with the Raiders before becoming stars at the pro level.

If it’s up to this year’s draft class, however, St. Paul’s High School might just become the new talk of the town.

Five Manitobans scored invites to this weekend’s CFL Combine in Edmonton, and three of them — offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro, defensive back Trae Tomlinson and defensive lineman Nathan Carabatsakis — used to walk the halls at St. Paul’s before closing out their high school careers at Clearwater Academy International in Florida to get a taste of competing at a higher level.

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Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES All signs point to Chris Streveler retiring after the 31-year-old quarterback posted a video on Tuesday of him hanging up all the jerseys he’s worn over the years dating back to his collegiate days.

Bombers’ O’Shea, Walters have nothing but praise for pivot as they talk QBs to combine

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Bombers’ O’Shea, Walters have nothing but praise for pivot as they talk QBs to combine

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

It’s been five years since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have held a top-four pick.

After this weekend’s CFL Combine in Edmonton — where 82 prospects will try to impress their future employers — the Bombers should have a much clearer idea of whose name they’ll be calling at No. 4 when draft day rolls around on April 28.

But before anyone’s 40-yard dash time was clocked, coaches and general managers from across the league took turns speaking to reporters via video conference calls on Wednesday to discuss a wide variety of topics, including the combine and upcoming draft. Here are the key takeaways from the conversation with Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea and general manager Kyle Waters.

Saluting Streveler

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Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026
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’

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‘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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Monday, Feb. 23, 2026
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
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
‘Hoping to be here for a long time’

‘Hoping to be here for a long time’

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

‘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

Taylor Allen 3 minute read Preview

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

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Preview

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

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