Photo: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Chris Streveler confirmed on Sunday that he recently re-tore the ACL in his left knee, an injury that will require surgery if he hopes to continue playing professional football.
“It’s pretty heartbreaking. The crazy thing is, you make it through the whole season — never miss a practice, never miss a game — and five plays in, things happen,” Streveler told 3DownNation at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday.
“What I am thankful for is the support I have around me with my family and my fiancée and my daughter. Going through this without them would be really difficult. I’m also extremely thankful for this locker room of guys because it’s kept me up, it’s given me a reason to get out of bed and come in here and to provide value in any way that I can, even though I wasn’t able to be out there this week.”
In last year’s Banjo Bowl, Streveler tore his ACL, MCL, and partially tore his PCL in his left knee. He completed his rehabilitation ahead of schedule and was ready for training camp in the spring, even starting Winnipeg’s regular-season opener against the B.C. Lions with Zach Collaros out due to a suspension.
The MCL and PCL remained intact this time around, though Streveler will also require surgery on his meniscus. When last season ended, the dual-threat quarterback seemed fully committed to returning to the field. On Sunday, he seemed more uncertain.
“We’re just gonna take that all one step at a time,” he said. “I’m not gonna make any decisions right now this second. I just need to get this surgery and get myself healthy. I’ve shown that I can come back quickly from injuries and be productive, so we’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Streveler is a pending free agent and his future in Winnipeg seems dubious at best. The 30-year-old threw almost twice as many interceptions (eleven) as touchdown passes this season (six) and the Blue Bombers have three quarterbacks — Collaros, Terry Wilson, and Chase Artopoeus — already under contract for 2026.
Taylor Elgersma, who remains a free agent after being selected in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft out of Wilfrid Laurier University, is also expected to sign with the team at some point unless he garners another opportunity in the NFL.
Streveler co-founded a coaching company in his offseason home of Arizona, which keeps him busy during the winter. Though he indicated his coaching venture will not play a role in determining whether or not he continues to play, he’s happy to have something to fall back on if his playing career is over.
“I am thankful to have things off the field because I’ve seen it through my years where guys are getting ready to step away and it’s a scary feeling because they don’t have anything,” said Streveler.
“When I was out of the game for a year sitting at home after I got hurt with the (New York) Jets (in 2023), it was like, ‘OK, I got to start trying to get some things going. That way, when that day does come, it’s not as scary, and you have some stuff that you’re passionate about that you can jump into.’”
The native of Crystal Lake, Ill. has thrown for 4,144 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions over 66 career regular-season CFL games with the Blue Bombers, helping the team win a Grey Cup in 2019. He has also rushed for 1,740 yards and 41 scores, nine of which came this year.
Though he’s yet to play for a CFL team other than Winnipeg, Streveler isn’t ruling anything out for 2026.
“I’m a very open-minded person and I just like to see what comes my way, so I’m never gonna rule anything out, I’m never gonna put myself in a box. I’m just gonna be open-minded, I’m gonna continue to be myself and put my best foot forward in my rehab and in my life, in general, and that’s gonna take me to where I want to go,” he said.
“I’ve been through a lot of adverse situations, so I know how to attack these things and this is no different, but it’s important to have a strong support system around you when you do, so I’m thankful for that.”
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Franchise quarterback Zach Collaros threw for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 13 regular-season games, going 6-7 as a starter.
The Blue Bombers ranked fifth in net offence, third in net defence, and eighth with a turnover differential of minus-eleven. The club’s leading rusher was Brady Oliveira with 1,163 yards, leading receiver was Nic Demski with 1,001 yards, and leading tackler was Tony Jones with 104 tackles. Winnipeg ranked first in attendance with average crowds of 32,343, which was a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year.