Bombers win some, lose some

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/02/2024 (613 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before we get into everything CFL, this one goes out to all the Swifties out there.

Speaking with Zach Collaros on the phone Tuesday to get his reaction on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ banner day was the priority. I couldn’t resist asking about his adventures from weeks earlier, when the team’s star quarterback was seen on national TV mingling in the same luxury suite as global music sensation Taylor Swift.

“We get to the door of the suite and there’s like seven bodyguards. I’m the first person through and it’s just her standing there with these other people and she’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Taylor,’” Collaros told me, noting he had turned down several media requests the day after the game because he didn’t understand all the hoopla. “She was very, very nice. She went out of her way to introduce herself to us as soon as we walked in.”

Collaros and Swift were at Highmark Stadium to cheer on Travis Kelce and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, as they battled the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Divisional playoff game on Jan. 21.

Swift has been dating Kelce for months now, in what is likely the most talked-about couple in North America. Collaros is friends and former college teammates with the Chiefs’ all-star tight end as well as his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles centre Jason Kelce.

They have remained close since their playing days at the University of Cincinnati.

The Chiefs prevailed and then defeated the Baltimore Ravens a week later, punching their ticket to this Sunday’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas against the San Francisco 49ers.

In Buffalo, the joy of victory was nearly overshadowed by the hilarious antics of Jason Kelce, who went to the game with Collaros and spent much of the evening shirtless, mucking it up with surprisingly adoring Bills fans.

While viewers went wild over what was unfolding — Jason actually climbed through the front window of the suite and into the stands — the antics barely registered with Collaros. It’s a show he’d seen plenty of times before, and when Kelce considered putting his shirt back on, Collaros encouraged him to remain bare-chested the rest of the game.

“Everybody and their mother knew who he was in Buffalo,” Collaros said. “I couldn’t believe that. That was very surreal. He’s just a guy that loves to have fun and half the time he’s making fun of himself.”

With that, let’s dive into the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) Kudos to Bombers’ general manager Kyle Walters and his staff for signing hometown star running back Brady Oliveira and Dalton Schoen, one of the CFL’s top receivers, to contracts just hours apart Tuesday. Colour me shocked that both are back, something people inside the organization figured had a less-than 10 per cent chance of happening. Needless to say, they’re 100 per cent thrilled now.

2) The Bombers were never going to be able to shell out the $250,000 Oliveira had asked for, let alone the thousands of dollars more that was being offered by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and B.C. Lions. That’s why there were long stretches of radio silence between the two sides over the off-season. Credit to the 26-year-old for sweating out the process and playing hardball in negotiations, despite claiming he never intended to leave or chase money. Oliveira becomes the highest-paid running back in the CFL, and the Bombers get a hometown stud who, for my money, is destined to smash league records.

3) When Oliveira signed, I immediately figured Schoen was gone. Instead, he signed a one-year contract for $230,000 — the same money Oliveira will earn in 2024. Like Oliveira, Schoen desperately wanted to be back and was willing to take less than he deserves to stay. Schoen wasn’t being courted nearly as much as he probably deserves and wasn’t being offered the $300,000-a-year deal that is the going rate for elite receivers — which he certainly is. My gut is Schoen is playing the long game here, banking on another stellar season with the Bombers and then cashing in next year when there’s a little more money to go around.

4) In my chat with Collaros, he expressed extreme disappointment over the departure of Jermarcus Hardrick to Saskatchewan. Hardrick had spent the last four of his seven seasons in Winnipeg protecting the pivot’s right side. Then Drew Richmond, who has been with the club the last three years and was expected to be Hardrick’s replacement, announced his retirement at the age of 28. With Geoff Gray likely not to re-sign, as the Bombers lean more on Tui Eli and Liam Dobson for bigger roles, fans are predictably concerned. The Bombers were aware of Richmond’s potential retirement and, while losing Hardrick hurts, I expect them to look for an experienced tackle at a reasonable price. I don’t see them playing a rookie at such an important position.

5) The Bombers are losing all-star corner Demerio Houston, who signed a two-year deal with the Calgary Stampeders that will pay him nearly $140,000 a season in hard money, or nearly twice what he was making last year. Houston had a breakout season in 2023, leading the CFL with seven interceptions, although his coverage skills weaken as the year wore on. Winnipeg inked safety Brandon Alexander late Wednesday to help ease the loss in the secondary.

6) The Bombers have been in chats with kicker Sergio Castillo, but there’s still some work to do there. Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat will be testing the open market. That will be a big loss for Winnipeg, but a necessary evil to stay salary-cap compliant.

7) I mentioned last week how intriguing it was the number of quality running backs set to hit free agency and the prospect of seeing several find new football homes. After Oliveira re-signed, the dominoes began to fall, with A.J. Ouellette jetting from Toronto to sign a two-year deal with Saskatchewan, and William Stanback locking up a one-year commitment with B.C. That leaves Calgary’s Ka’Deem Carey and Saskatchewan’s Jamal Morrow without contracts, and neither is expected to re-sign with their most recent employers.

8) The Roughriders wasted little time making their presence known, diving headfirst and making the biggest splash so far during this week’s legal tampering window. Along with Ouellette, Saskatchewan has also agreed to deals with Hardrick and linebacker Jameer Thurman. These are some nice pickups, but it also cost the Riders plenty, including hefty raises for all three. By my math, the trio is getting paid a combined $135,000 more than they earned in 2023. I’m not convinced by the moves and, as I did with Ottawa the last two winters, I’m predicting the Riders will miss the playoffs again in 2024. There are just too many moving pieces, including a new head coach in Corey Mace. I do, though, believe better days are ahead in Riderville.

9) The Argonauts will have a drastically different look compared to the 16-2 club they fielded last year. In the span of a day, the Argos lost Ouellette, linebacker Adarius Pickett (Ott), defensive back Jamal Peters (Ham), defensive lineman Dewayne Hendrix (Ham), special teams ace Javon Leake (Edm) and kicker Boris Bede (Edm). That’s a lot of star power to wave goodbye to, but that’s been Toronto’s thing in recent years. They have a strong scouting staff, able to fill any vacant holes, and rarely overpay for players. Just feels like a lot to lose so quickly.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton