Photo: Bob Butrym/3DownNation. All rights reserved

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers appear to have gone all-in on winning the Grey Cup in 2026, which begs the question: why didn’t they do the same thing last year?

Winnipeg broke the bank in free agency, paying $250,000 for offensive lineman Jarell Broxton, $235,000 for defensive lineman Jake Ceresna, $222,000 for receiver Tim White, $175,000 for receiver Tommy Nield, and $135,000 for defensive back Jonathan Moxey.

Broxton is now the CFL’s highest-paid American offensive lineman, while Ceresna and White are among the league’s highest-paid players at their respective positions. Though he’ll earn less than fellow defensive backs Deatrick Nichols and Evan Holm, Moxey will be one of the league’s highest-paid cornerbacks.

This was the type of spending spree fans in Winnipeg were hoping for last year when the city hosted the Grey Cup for the first time in a decade. Instead, the team lost star receiver Kenny Lawler, blossoming offensive lineman Liam Dobson, and All-CFL defensive back Tyrell Ford to free agency without making the corresponding moves needed to replace them.

The results were unacceptable for a team that has firmly established itself as the CFL’s flagship franchise. After qualifying for five-straight Grey Cups and winning two of them, the Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division and promptly lost the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.

“Fourth place in the West wasn’t good enough. With the bar that’s been set around here — going to all the Grey Cups and winning the West those years — (we had) to take an honest look at ourselves and … admit that we weren’t good enough on the field and we needed to change, we needed to improve,” general manager Kyle Walters told the media on Thursday.

“You go from first place for all those years to fourth place — the next slide is out of the playoffs and that’s not something we were prepared to think is a realistic option, so, yes, let’s be aggressive, let’s get back to making a splash (in free agency). It’s been a few years — we’ve been quite status quo, to be honest, so it certainly was a concerted effort, an organizational effort, to be aggressive: let’s target the guys we want and let’s get them.”

“It is that fine line of, ‘We’re winning, we’re going to Grey Cups, status quo, status quo,’ and that eventually bites you in the ass, and it did last year.”

The Blue Bombers were still active in free agency in 2025, though their signings were more Perkins than Prada. The team paid $160,000 for defensive lineman James Vaughters, $150,000 for receiver Dillon Mitchell, $120,000 for linebacker Jonathan Jones, $110,000 for kick returner Peyton Logan, $90,000 for receiver Jerreth Sterns, and $90,000 for quarterback Shea Patterson.

These players all have something in common: none of them are still with the team.

Patterson was cut early in training camp, nullifying his contract. Logan was injured for most of the season, appearing in only three games. Mitchell was a healthy scratch for half the year and caught only 19 passes. Jones played three games but was mostly a healthy scratch before being released in September. Vaughters and Sterns were full-time starters but weren’t re-signed and have since joined other squads.

The Blue Bombers made other inexpensive additions, including defensive back Joshua Hagerty, defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock, and receivers Reggie White Jr. and Gavin Cobb, but only Cobb remains. The University of Manitoba product is expected to fill a depth role in a receiving corps that could start up to three Canadians this year.

When asked how the team was able to afford this year’s spending spree when money was tight in previous years, Walters pointed to how many healthy scratches the team had in 2025. In the CFL, healthy players can be stashed on the one-game injured list, though their earnings still count against the salary cap.

“We’re going to go back to managing the cap (the way) we did a few years ago,” said Walters. “Money was allocated differently last year and we’re going back to running the cap the way we have prior years.”

“I think last year, there was too many veteran guys in the building that weren’t playing each week, that were being sat.”

Many of the same fans who helped sell-out the entire 2025 regular-season were forced to watch in horror when the Saskatchewan Roughriders, whose popularity in Manitoba is roughly on par with Donald Trump, hoisted the Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium.

Clearly, the Blue Bombers brass is determined to prevent that from happening again.

“I do believe we’re better (after making these additions in free agency). We’re better heading into next year, I think we’ve added some talent,” said Walters.

“I think we needed to show the fans, the players in the locker room, everybody that last year wasn’t good enough and for us just to stand pat or make minor moves, I don’t think sends the right message of who we are as the Winnipeg Football Club … and showing them that last year was a blip, not the norm.”

This year’s Grey Cup is set for McMahon Stadium, the same place the Blue Bombers started their impressive run back in 2019.

If their expensive free-agent haul pans out, they just might get back there come November.

For a full breakdown of how Winnipeg’s roster looks post-free agency — including a mock depth chart — click here.