Photo: CFL/James Maclennan

One of the CFL’s breakout stars will return to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2026.

Trey Vaval worked out for six NFL teams over the last two months, including tryouts with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons.

Despite the interest, the Blue Bombers have confirmed to 3DownNation that Vaval will not be signing a contract down south. According to Ed Tait, the club’s in-house reporter, Vaval remains under contract with Winnipeg through 2027.

The 25-year-old was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player for 2025. He led the league in punt return yards (957), missed field goal return yards (391), and kick return touchdowns (four), while also finishing third in all-purpose yards (2,266) and fifth in kickoff return yards (918).

The five-foot-eleven, 171-pound speedster set a single-game CFL record with 199 missed field goal return yards in a 26-18 win over the Ottawa Redblacks. He also started four games at field-sidecornerback, recording 21 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, and one interception.

The native of Blue Springs, Mo. attended training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 but was released at its conclusion.

Vaval finished his collegiate career at Minnesota State University, where he recorded 69 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass knockdowns, five blocked kicks, two interceptions, two touchdowns, and one sack over 25 games.

At his pro day, the defender reportedly ran a 4.51-second forty-yard dash along with a 4.25-second shuttle and 6.90-second three-cone. He also recorded eight reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, a 37-inch vertical jump, and 10-foot, eight-inch broad jump.

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. 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.