Bombers ink O-lineman Neufeld to one-year extension

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This article was published 18/12/2023 (1005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a lot of questions surrounding the future of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive line.

Veteran right guard Patrick Neufeld isn’t one of them as the soon-to-be 35-year-old inked a one-year extension with the club on Monday.

The other four starters from last season — left tackle Stanley Bryant, left guard Geoff Gray, centre Chris Kolankowski, and right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick — are still pending free agents.

“I knew I wanted to come back right away,” said Neufeld, who will enter his 11th season with the Bombers and 13th in the CFL.

“I’ve said it many times: I don’t want to play anywhere else. So, as soon as I could, I got things going on a contract. I’m glad we got it hammered out relatively quickly before Christmas here.”

Bryant, 37, and Hardrick, 33, hopped on FaceTime with Neufeld last offseason and all decided to run it back in 2023. It remains to be seen if the two American tackles are on board for another run in 2024.

Kolankowski, 31, enjoyed a breakout year and is due for a substantial raise. Gray, 29, is the freshest face of the group and a hometown product, but with guards Liam Dobson and Tui Eli under contract and waiting in the wings, there’s no guarantee he’ll be brought back either.

If Neufeld has it his way, they’ll all be back. The Bombers have more than 30 pending free agents.

“That group that we’ve had has been phenomenal,” said Neufeld.

“It’s an offensive line that I think is the best in the CFL and has been for the last number of years. And they’re great friends, they’re people in my life that I cherish and have built a lot of relationships with. I was, right away, talking to all those guys and seeing where they are at.”

Neufeld is a three-time CFL all-star who played a big role in running back Brady Oliveira leading the league in rushing and the Bombers being ranked first in net offence. The 6-6, 311-pound Regina native hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and believes the O-line has a lot left in the tank despite all the questions surrounding their age. Neufeld started his career with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders before getting traded to the Bombers in 2013. He now spends his off-season in Winnipeg.

“As I keep saying, we’re not old, we just get a little older,” Neufeld said. “Age is relative. We’re still going out there on a week-to-week basis and doing great things in the run game and holding up for Zach (Collaros). I think our output was phenomenal on offence this year.”

As for ending the season with a second straight heartbreaking Grey Cup loss — this time a 28-24 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes in Hamilton last month — Neufeld doesn’t shy away from it. He’s already watched the film countless times.

“I’m going to use that as fuel for this off-season. Not that we need it, but it’s one of those things that is going to be on our minds for a long time, so we’ve got to find a way to make it a positive and use it as motivation,” he said.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31