Blue Bombers face potential end of era as veterans mull retirement

WINNIPEG · Quarterback Zach Collaros and several other veteran leaders of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are contemplating retirement after the team's season ended in the East Division final. The Bombers fell 33-23 to the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, concluding a 9-9 campaign. At the team's end-of-season availability on Sunday, Collaros became emotional while discussing his future, saying he will likely not decide on retirement until January. The 38-year-old quarterback has played 14 seasons in the CFL, including the last seven with Winnipeg.

"I've thought about my future more and more as I've gotten older, obviously," said Collaros. "I've always kind of had it in the back of my head." He revealed that contract extension talks with the team began early in the season but stopped after he suffered a neck injury in a July 5 win over Hamilton. Collaros said there have been no discussions since, adding, "I would have thought I was going to play another couple of years, so everything changes day-to-day and things happen and we'll see." Collaros passed for 2,989 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the regular season, but he missed six games due to various injuries. He also sat out the East semifinal with a rib injury and was a game-time decision for the final. Since arriving in a 2019 trade from Toronto, Collaros has been the face of the franchise, leading the Bombers to five consecutive Grey Cup appearances and winning championships in 2019 and 2021.

Running back Brady Oliveira called Collaros "Bomber royalty forever" and credited him with ending the team's championship drought. "This guy gets traded here and the drought is ended. We win a Grey Cup in 2019 and he's a massive part of it," Oliveira said. "And from then on there, the guy's won us so many football games." The team's performance has declined since those title runs, however, with a 10-8 record and a semifinal loss last year preceding this season's .500 finish.

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Collaros is not the only veteran considering stepping away. Offensive linemen Stanley Bryant and Patrick Neufeld are also out of contract and thinking about retirement. Bryant, a four-time winner of the CFL's top offensive lineman award over his 16-year career, said physical wear is a major factor. "The body always plays a part," Bryant said. "Mentally, I'm fine, but the body is a key factor."

Neufeld, who has spent 13 of his 15 CFL seasons with Winnipeg and is the team's longest-tenured player, said his growing family is central to his decision. "Just time, man. The toll this game takes on your body," Neufeld said. "I'm not getting any younger and things hurt more. With having three young kids, it changes things a lot. I just want to make sure I do what's best for them."

Optimism for the future

Despite the potential departure of core veterans, Oliveira expressed confidence in the team's ability to remain competitive. "Maybe an end of an era for maybe a little bit of my career, because they've been a huge part of it," he said. "But now I just have a new fresh start for my career. I'll just [think], 'Let's find a way to do it again.' I believe in this organization, I trust this organization." Oliveira added that he does not foresee a full rebuild. "It's not going to be a thing where it's a rebuild per se. Like, it can't be," he said. "We still have great guys in this locker room that are really good football players and really good human beings that can win games for us, so I think we'll be just fine."

One veteran who hopes to return is defensive end Willie Jefferson. The 35-year-old American, who just completed his seventh season with the Bombers and 12th in the CFL, said he wants to come back for an eighth campaign in Winnipeg. He also urged his teammates to take their time with life-altering decisions. "I hope other guys don't rush into make a decision [on their futures]," Jefferson said. "Enjoy the offseason, enjoy this next couple of days we have together with the 2026 Bomber team. And whatever 2027 holds, I hope the best for everybody."

Reflecting on his time in Winnipeg, Collaros emphasized the personal significance of his journey over any on-field accomplishments. "A career's a career … I don't really care about the player aspect of it," he said. "But just being able to be part of this organization, being around the people that I've been able to be around, I'll never forget it. It's been just such an amazing journey and an amazing blessing to be in this community."

With files from Sportsnet and The Globe and Mail