Collaros sees more for Bombers core

A collective sadness in the air overshadowed what little optimism remained as members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers began packing up their belongings in the club’s locker room Sunday morning.

The season ends the same way for all but one team. If you’re lucky enough to make it to the Grey Cup — as these Blue Bombers have in recent years, reaching five straight championship games — you give yourself a chance to close the season on the highest of notes, with a championship parade.

The Bombers have been fortunate to taste the storybook ending, winning twice in 2019 and 2021 before losing the last three Grey Cups. While those losses were certainly tough to swallow, a defeat in the Grey Cup can still be viewed as a successful year or, at the very least, it provides a sense of confidence going into the next season.

This year, the Bombers lasted just one playoff game, eliminated from the postseason following a 42-33 road loss to the Montreal Alouettes.

They couldn’t win the West Division like in previous years — a feat that would have given them a bye to the West final and had them just one home victory away from the Grey Cup. Instead, they settled for fourth place in the division, relegating them to the East as a crossover team.

Now, as players clean out their lockers, it’s not just for the winter break. In a cruel twist of fate, the space they vacate will soon be filled by a rival. That’s because the Bombers locker room will host the West representative — the winner between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions — in the 112th Grey Cup being held at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Nov. 16.

“It’s definitely unsettling. It doesn’t feel great,” Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said. “On the ride over, I picked up Jake (Thomas) and that was one of the things we talked about briefly. Obviously, losing and not coming to work today is difficult. Just the thought of having another team in your locker room is tough.”

Not going to a sixth straight Grey Cup has been a disappointing reality for players, especially with the game being played in Winnipeg. It’s particularly rough for those who have been around for all or most of these “dynasty” years, and even longer, as is the case for Thomas.

Thomas, a veteran Canadian defensive lineman and the longest-tenured Bomber at 15 seasons, is one of the aging players who will have to make an important decision in the coming weeks on his football future.

Will he be willing to put in the work it takes to play another year? Will the team want him if he does?

These are questions that Thomas is going to have to ask himself and seek advice about from his family, which includes a child starting school in the fall back home on the east coast. What Thomas doesn’t question, however, is the future health of the Bombers organization.

“I don’t think the window is closed by any means, if that’s where you’re going with that,” Thomas said. “I guess the streak of going to Grey Cups is over, but I don’t think anyone was satisfied with the way the last three Grey Cups ended anyways.”

He added: “We’re not satisfied with just making the playoffs. The expectation is to go all the way.”

Given the timing of this year’s playoff defeat and challenging regular season, it raises the question: Is this the end of an era in Winnipeg?

“I don’t think so,” Collaros said. “I don’t know how to kind of categorize it. But I think we still have the pieces in place. I’d like to continue to do this. I love this support. I love this league. I love this organization, first and foremost, and I love my teammates. I want to continue to do it, but I want to play good football. And I want guys who have been here — Jake Thomas, Paddy Neufeld, Stanley Bryant, Shayne Gauthier. Those guys who have been here for the ride, I’d like for them to be here to do it, because I think we can continue to do it.”

Like Thomas, who turns 35 next month, there are several aging veteran players in need of a contract for next season. The Bombers have done a good job of bringing in younger talent the last two years, saying goodbye to a handful of core leaders, such as Adam Bighill, Jackson Jeffcoat and Brandon Alexander.

But many still remain, including four of the five starters on the offensive line. Neufeld will be 37 in December and Bryant 40 by the time next year’s training camp starts.

Just consider some of the other notable pending free agents: running back Brady Oliveira; receivers Nic Demski, Dalton Schoen, Jerreth Sterns and Keric Wheatfall; defensive ends Willie Jefferson and James Vaughters; linebackers Gauthier and Kyrie Wilson; and defensive backs Evan Holm, Redha Kramdi and Deatrick Nichols.

“I have absolutely no idea what the change is going to be like,” Jefferson said. “But I believe in this organization, this coaching staff. I believe in Coach (Mike) O’Shea and (general manager) Kyle (Walters) and (president and CEO) Wade (Miller). Those guys have been doing a great job the last eight to 10 years building this team, making this team what it is, and the guys in the locker room do nothing but make it better. Whatever happens in the future, I believe that will be the right choice.”

Winnipeg finished the 2025 regular season 10-8, marking a ninth straight year with double-digit wins. They opened strong and then faltered midway through the season, only to regroup and clinch a playoff spot in Week 20.

But unlike the last few seasons, this year looked and felt different because of a lack of consistency in all areas, a sentiment echoed by several on the team.

“Definitely a lot of ups and downs. A lot of adversity,” Demski said. “But at the end of the day, that’s what builds character. This was a good team; a good team that came together and just fell short.”

Winnipeg was once again last in generating quarterback sacks, but under co-ordinator Jordan Younger and his penchant for rushing three defenders rather than four, the Bombers’ defence allowed the fewest offensive points against. In more games than not, the defence gave Winnipeg a chance to win games.

The same couldn’t be said for the offence. Led by rookie offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan, Winnipeg’s attack was below average in almost every statistical category outside of the Oliveira-led run game.

The passing game was among the worst in the CFL, averaging a league-low 235 yards per game. The Bombers suffered two-and-outs on 37 per cent of their total drives and threw the most interceptions, with 27.

“I think that’s more of a discussion for when the dust settles and we find out what’s going to happen moving forward, all those things,” Collaros said, when asked how to fix the passing game. “It’s trying to figure out what you’re good at and kind of honing in on that and getting grown in that. We need to get better in the passing game, for sure. That’s not just this season. I think over the last couple seasons — not just this year but the year before, too — it’s gotten tougher, for sure.”

There’s still plenty of dust to settle, with both Walters and O’Shea also up for contract extensions. In previous years, these negotiations often followed Grey Cup appearances and victories.

How this year might affect what happens to management and the coaching staff remains to be seen. O’Shea and Walters will be talking this week and should be able to provide more clarity.

“I don’t know,” Demski said with a nervous chuckle when asked how different next year could be. “I don’t know if it is from a management plan, I don’t know if it is from a coaching plan, I don’t know if it’s a player part, but I do expect change. It’s probably pretty cliché to say, especially in this sport that we play and the business that we’re in. I’ll have more answers to that after I talk to O’Shea. But I love it here. I don’t want my situation to change. I’ll stick with that answer and we’ll go from there.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca