How close Willie Jefferson came to wearing a different jersey in 2026 might never be uncovered, but it’s an outcome he at least considered.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers star pass rusher revealed Friday that returning for a seventh season with the Blue and Gold — and 12th in the CFL — proved more challenging than it has been in other years, something that was made evident by the timing of his deal earlier this week.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old had never signed a contract this late in the off-season since becoming a member of the Bombers, and that was for a couple of reasons.
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Willie Jefferson re-signed with the team Thursday. The defensive lineman is chasing franchise and CFL records.
It took longer for the club and Jefferson — who represents himself in contract talks — to reach a mutual agreement on a salary, and the defensive end also claimed he wasn’t in a hurry either.
There was another factor at play even before negotiations began, however — the way the Bombers have come up short in the playoffs the last four years. The sting of three straight Grey Cup losses and a first-round exit in 2025 had Jefferson considering whether his best chance to get over the hump again might be elsewhere.
“There were thoughts about that,” Jefferson said via Zoom from his home in Texas.
“At the end of the season and then at the beginning of the off-season, that was on my mind — ‘Is this the time for me to leave and go somewhere else and try to get over the hump of losing Grey Cups or losing those close playoff games?’ — but I believe in Zach (Collaros). I believe in coach (Mike) O’Shea. I believe in Kyle (Walters). I believe in (Nic) Demski, Brady (Oliveira) and, especially, the defence.”
The list of figures that influenced his decision goes on. It’s fair to wonder if new offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell is on there, too, given how that unit underperformed last season. In the end, despite the Bombers’ streak of heartbreaks, it was clear to Jefferson that the grass might not be greener elsewhere.
He also said he believes that the Bombers weren’t far off from their standard a year ago, which made him confident to return to a team that is bringing back much of the same core.
“I wanted to be in Winnipeg,” Jefferson said. “The last few years, we’ve done a lot of great things in Winnipeg — we’ve been winning, and I want to continue that. That was something that I stressed in negotiations. I didn’t want to make it seem like I wanted to leave, but with all free agents, if the numbers didn’t match or the vibe wasn’t there for both sides, then we were going to explore other teams.”
What’s important to fans and the Bombers is that their defensive pillar put ink to paper and will, in fact, don Blue and Gold this summer.
The six-time CFL all-star and 2019 Most Outstanding Defensive Player was disruptive once again across 17 games last season, registering 15 defensive tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and a league-best 16 pass knockdowns.
The lone concern surrounding Winnipeg’s defence — which ranked second against the pass, third against the run, third in yards allowed last season — was its league-low 23 sacks, marking the second season in a row that the Bombers finished last in that metric.
While the club led the league with 73 pass knockdowns, James Vaughters, who the club signed in free agency to form a veteran tandem with Jefferson, finished with six sacks, and Jefferson’s three sacks tied a single-season career low.
Vaughters has yet to re-sign, but Jefferson said he will be lobbying to keep him in the building.
“If you turn on the tape and you watch the defence, you’ll see that I’m back there. It’s a lot of misses this year — a lot — and that’s something that I’m working on this off-season, getting ready to go into this 2026 season,” he said. “I plan on finishing a lot more tackles in the backfield, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Jefferson also expressed excitement for what the recently retired Jake Thomas could do in his first season as the team’s defensive line coach, saying the attention to detail that Thomas puts into his craft “finally gets to come out.”
Speaking of retirement, that wasn’t on Jefferson’s mind. He’s still confident that he has at least a few more years of elite performances to give to a Grey Cup-calibre team. Beyond that, he’s not afraid to admit he’s motivated by personal stats.
His 46 sacks as a Bomber rank fifth all-time in franchise history, while his 94 career knockdowns are only second to Eddie Davis’ CFL record (111).
“That’s a legacy,” said Jefferson, who wants to surpass Tyrone Jones’ franchise record of 98 sacks.
“That’s my legacy, me showing my dominance in the league, me showing my dedication to climbing that ladder for the organization. I’m working to be one of those names up there, with the great guys in the Ring of Honour. I want to be next to the Doug Browns and the Milt Stegalls and all those guys. I want to be up there, and this is how I solidify my place up there.”
Bombers sign five
The Bombers announced five signings on Friday, including American receiver Key’Shawn Smith, American defensive ends Warren Peeples and Khris Bogle, and American defensive backs Warren Burrell and Shyheim Battle.
The 6-1, 185-pound Smith attended rookie camp and spent last off-season in the NFL, first with the Las Vegas Raiders and then with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Peeples, who checks in at 6-2, 230 pounds, signed as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and appeared in all three pre-season games last year, recording six total tackles and two sacks.
The 6-4, 245-pound Bogle signs after a six-year collegiate career split between Michigan State and Florida, and a short stint with the New York Giants last off-season. Bogle was also recently drafted by the Columbus Aviators of the UFL.
Burrell, a six-foot, 195-pounder, was out of football after spending six years in college. He spent five seasons at Tennessee and his last at Georgia Tech, accumulating 118 total tackles (90 solo, 28 assists), three tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions in 52 games (31 starts).
The 6-3, 196-pound Battle will have been out of football for nearly two years by the time training camp rolls around. After a four-year collegiate career at NC State, he signed as a UDFA with the New York Jets in April 2024, attended their rookie camp, and was released in June. Battle was an honourable mention All-ACC in 2021.
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Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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