Streveler and his folk-hero status returning to Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/01/2024 (627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s an old tongue-in-cheek adage in the CFL that the most popular player on the team is the backup quarterback. When it comes to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, that might actually be true.

Chris Streveler has signed a one-year contract, marking the return of a beloved player who reached legendary status in Winnipeg right before jetting to the NFL.

The 29-year-old will make $120,000 in 2024, with the chance to earn some additional cash through playing incentives, positioned behind two-time most outstanding player and starter Zach Collaros.

The Free Press reported Jan. 11 Streveler was considering a return to the CFL and the Bombers were front-runners to sign him. Negotiations have been ongoing over the last few weeks, with Streveler garnering interest from other teams as well.

With no one willing to dole out starting QB money, the best option for Streveler was Winnipeg, where he has the potential to earn income off the field, through sponsorship deals.

When Streveler was in Winnipeg for last year’s Banjo Bowl against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, there was a line so long to meet him that it had to be cut short.

While Streveler is the clear No. 2, he’s not a typical backup, possessing a unique skill set that should add a notable wrinkle to Buck Pierce’s offensive scheme. Streveler has spent the past four seasons in the NFL, including stints in Arizona, Baltimore, Miami and the New York Jets.

Streveler played two seasons in Winnipeg. He arrived straight out of college ahead of the 2018 campaign and, when QB Matt Nichols went down in training camp, he started the first three games of the season. He finished the year with 11 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores.

Streveler would eventually replace Nichols again in 2019, leading the Bombers to a 3-5 record as a starter before Winnipeg acquired Collaros at the trade deadline. Streveler, who finished 2019 with 1,564 passing yards and eight touchdowns, did most of his damage that year with his feet, rushing for 726 yards and 12 TDs.

It was Collaros who led the Bombers to their first Grey Cup in 29 years, but that didn’t stop Streveler from making his mark. He had a game-sealing TD run against the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division semi-final and threw a TD pass against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the championship game.

Streveler cemented his celebrity status when he showed up to the Grey Cup parade bare-chested, donning a white cowboy hat, long brown fur coat and gold chain, while chugging beers. Few, if any, in recent memory have been celebrated more among Bomber fans than Streveler.

In total, Streveler started 12 games in Winnipeg, winning four, and passed for 2,698 yards, 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, while adding 1,167 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.