Negotiation game a ‘rollercoaster’: Oliveira

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This article was published 07/02/2024 (854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After weeks of media speculating about his future and fear from fans that their hometown star might be on the move, Brady Oliveira took centre stage Wednesday to say he was simply playing the game.

Not the one the Blue Bombers running back is used to and is now set to be paid handsomely for, after signing a two-year contract with Winnipeg that pays him a combined $470,000 — making the 26-year-old the highest-paid tailback in the CFL. It was the negotiation game Oliveira was referring to, which he claimed helped pave the way to finding some middle ground and keeping him in the River City through the 2025 season.

“It definitely was stressful, I’ll say that. It was a rollercoaster,” Oliveira said. “But I knew at the end of the day where I wanted to be, obviously, and now here we are. With the number I put out there, us athletes, we’ve got to play the game, too. I’m not going to come in with a lowball number. I got to go in with a high number and that was kind of a tactic on our end, and we got what we wanted.”

The Winnipeg native is coming off a breakout season, where he registered 2,016 scrimmage yards, including a league-high 1,534 rushing yards to go with 13 total touchdowns, another league-high. Oliveira was named the most outstanding Canadian and was runner-up to Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly for most outstanding player.
With his success, Oliveira hoped to reset the running back market in the CFL, asking for around $250,000 per season. He ended up taking a tad less — earning $230,000 in 2024 and $240,000 in 2025 — while turning down higher offers from other clubs.