Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
The Ottawa Redblacks will not be making a change at the general manager position after missing the playoffs in 2025.
Following the team’s 35-15 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Friday’s regular-season finale, team president Adrian Sciarra confirmed to A.J. Jakubec of TSN 1200 that Shawn Burke will continue in his role for the 2026 season.
Burke was hired by the Redblacks in December 2021 after they moved on from their inaugural general manager, Marcel Desjardins. He posted consecutive 4-14 seasons in his first two years at the helm, as Ottawa was rocked by injuries to franchise quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, but the organization returned to the playoffs with a 9-8-1 record in 2024.
The native of Guelph, Ont., was quietly signed to a contract extension alongside head coach Bob Dyce this offseason, locking him in through 2026. However, the team on the field failed to live up to expectations, finishing 4-14 yet again. Through four seasons, Burke has posted a 21-50-1 record.
Sciarra did not make any assurances about the future of Dyce, who is widely expected to be fired. It appears that Burke will be granted a second chance to hire a head coach after settling on Dyce after the firing of Paul LaPolice in 2022.
Burke has a track record of success prior to his time in Ottawa. The Durham College graduate began as director of community relations with the Tiger-Cats in 2007 and rapidly rose through the ranks to become assistant general manager. He later served as senior director of player personnel and co-manager of football operations from 2019 to 2021, as Hamilton advanced to back-to-back Grey Cup games.
Both Burke and Dyce will be made available for the media at 11 a.m. EDT on Saturday, October 25.