It was both frightening and a bit gory. And, in that respect, the after-effects of Pat Neufeld’s last snap of 2025 somehow encapsulated so much of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers season.

It was midway through the second quarter of Winnipeg’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League’s Eastern Semi-Final when quarterback Zach Collaros was sacked and fumbled, with the veteran right guard then pouncing on the loose ball just as he was nailed in the back by a defender.

Neufeld headed to the locker room to be assessed by the training staff and at halftime was urinating blood as a result of the shot he took to his kidney.

That injury took almost two full weeks from which to recover for Neufeld and, indirectly, it’s part of the reason the 37-year-old scratched his name on a one-year contract extension to be be back manning his post on the Blue Bombers offensive line in 2026, saying Monday in a conference call, “I just felt like I couldn’t go out like that and need to redeem myself.”

That will likely be a common theme for those who return to the Blue Bombers this season as the club’s 10-8 record, fourth-place finish in the CFL’s West Division and first-round exit from the playoffs after five straight Grey Cup appearances from 2019-24 has once again stoked the competitive fires.

There’s that for Neufeld and, as his career hits the 15-season mark in 2026, a greater appreciation for every day in the game.

“It’s funny, I think about this now going into year 15 — 16 with COVID — and my rookie year (with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in 2011) I was roommates with a player named Gene Makowsky who has the most games played as a Saskatchewan Roughrider,” Neufeld recalled. “He played like 250-60 games for that organization.

“I just remember sitting there next to him and being his roommate on the road and being like, ‘How is this guy still playing? He’s got a family. He’s got kids.’ and I was just a 22-year-old kid with no idea what he was getting himself into. I just told myself if I could last one year and being able to say I played professional football that would be pretty cool. Now I’m going into year 15 or 16 and being on the flip side of that and seeing guys born in 2003 playing on the roster and blowing my mind there.

“So, it’s kind of surreal to take a step back and understand the position I’m in and being able to play into Year 15 as a professional football player is pretty cool.

“It’s nuts, man,” he added with a chuckle “There are guys who were like two when I was getting into the CFL. It’s a bit of a culture shock which is funny because I don’t feel old but you hear some terminology and songs and lingo these dudes use and ‘I’m like, man, I’m old.’”

Neufeld’s return to the O-line means three starters from last year are back along with left guard Gabe Wallace and right tackle Kendall Randolph, with Tui Eli expected to replace Chris Kolankowski, who was released and since since with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, at centre.

Also under contract are 2025 CFL Draft pick Ethan Vibert, American guard/tackle Micah Vanterpool, two players who spent time on the practice roster last year in Tyler Elsbury and Hunter Poncius, another draft pick in Alberta product Iwinosa Uwubanmwen and American prospects Ben Dooley, Zovon Lindsay, Joseph More, Sebastian Pares and former Edmonton Elk Tariq Stewart.

The list of pending free agents includes future hall of famer Stanley Bryant — Neufeld is hopeful big Stan returns — and veteran tackle Eric Lofton.

Neufeld mentioned the relationships and friendships he has in the Blue Bombers organization as a huge draw to return as does his gut feeling he’s still got more to give.

“It’s just an intrinsic feeling that I have,” he said. “I’ve always said (he’ll keep playing) until the wheels fall off and I still feel healthy enough that I can go out and compete. I assessed it early in the offseason with us having an earlier offseason and being back in the gym training with Chris and Gabe and Ethan Vibert — I still feel that I can get in the gym and train really well.

“There’s just a part of my soul that’s connected to this game. It’s been my passion for the last 16 years of my life and I just love playing. I love being in the locker room. I love being in the meeting room and all those aspects of being a good professional, being a good teammate are still super appealing to me.

“Take a step back and looking at my life, I can’t see it not having football in it for this year. I just felt like I needed to come back and play another year.”