Elgersma ‘excited to be here’

Taylor Elgersma exhausted every avenue down south before finally putting pen to paper with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

And while it may seem from the outside that signing with the CFL club that drafted him was Plan Z, the 24-year-old quarterback from London, Ont., insists that’s not the case.

“I always knew that I had a home here and that I was excited to be here. I think I’ve said it a lot of times, but this was never a backup for me,” Elgersma told reporters in a Zoom call on Friday.

“Growing up, I always envisioned myself being a pro football player. Period. And then after I got drafted I was ecstatic. And then the opportunities down south opened up.”

The University of Wilfrid Laurier product was cut by the Green Bay Packers at the end of last year’s training camp, but a strong pre-season performance left him hopeful he’d get another NFL shot. He went on to work out for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins without receiving a contract offer.

He was then selected by the Birmingham Stallions in the 2026 UFL Quarterback Draft and opted to go down that road in hopes of getting more tape playing American football to keep the NFL dream alive.

Canadian players have never been able to obtain the necessary work visa to play in the UFL, yet Elgersma reported to camp in Birmingham anyway, confident things would work out.

In short, they didn’t.

Stallions head coach A.J. McCarron — a former NFL quarterback — even called U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville to help speed the process but it didn’t make a difference. Elgersma was able to practise with the team, but sat out their first three regular season games before officially signing with the Bombers on Thursday.

“Growing up, I always envisioned myself being a pro football player. Period. And then after I got drafted I was ecstatic. And then the opportunities down south opened up.”

The Blue and Gold drafted the former Hec Crighton Trophy winner in the second round, 18th overall, in the 2025 CFL Draft. He’ll now report to rookie camp on May 6.

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of the work visa. I just know I was told that it was gonna happen and it didn’t happen. And that’s OK,” said Elgersma.

“I’m super fired up to be here, I’m happy with how this worked out. For me, I think I’m in the right spot, the right place for my career.

“Now is the right time so I can get myself back and ready to roll for training camp.”

You can’t fault a player for pursuing the highest level of his profession, but the list of quarterbacks that have gone from the UFL to the NFL is incredibly small — and even those who have made the jump haven’t stuck around for much longer than a cup of coffee.

Making the move even more of a head-scratcher is that last year’s UFL MVP Bryce Perkins left the spring league to sign with the Bombers in November, despite not being guaranteed a roster spot.

“I’m super fired up to be here, I’m happy with how this worked out. For me, I think I’m in the right spot, the right place for my career.”

Regardless of anyone’s stance on Elgersma’s career path or the UFL, he stands by his decisions.

“Has this process maybe taken a little bit of time to get to this point? Sure, but I’m better now for it because of what I’ve gone through, not only in Green Bay but through workouts, through a combine and then obviously through the last couple of weeks down in Birmingham,” said Elgersma.

“So it’s not really up to me to change my decisions based on people’s opinions…. I think I’m a better player and a better pro from this last year and I’m just excited to get rolling.”

Now that the dust has settled, Elgersma — who is currently making the 20-hour drive from Alabama back to his home province — will prepare to battle fellow CFL newcomers Perkins and Payton Thorne, along with third-year Bomber Terry Wilson, for the No. 2 job behind Zach Collaros.

Time will tell, but if Elgersma reaches his full potential, the Bombers might have their heir-apparent to Collaros.

“Any time you’re in a building with someone of his calibre it’s important that you soak up every single thing that you can from him — all the information, all the tips that I can gain from him, I want to learn them,” said Elgersma.

“I would also say there are a lot of other guys in this room and in this building that I have a lot of respect for. We already talked about Bryce, Payton Thorne is here as well, Terry Wilson … there’s other vets there in this room and for me my job is to come here and help the Winnipeg Blue Bombers win a Grey Cup. That’s all I’m focused on, is coming to be the best version of myself in the building every single day.”

It’s also not lost on him on what it would mean to be a starting Canadian quarterback in the CFL — something that seemed impossible for decades until Nathan Rourke became a star for the B.C. Lions.

“I hope one day there’s young kids out there who choose to play football because there’s Canadians at the quarterback position that are leading the way.”

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