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2025 GREY CUP PLAYOFFS\u00bb Alouettes defeat Bombers, punch ticket to Eastern Final<\/a>
\u00bb Collaros, Bombers \u2018feel terrible\u2019 after Eastern Semi-Final loss<\/a>
\u00bb Lions beat Stamps to earn another Western Final trip<\/a>
\u00bb Dickenson wishes \u2018better fate\u2019 for Stampeders in loss to Lions<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Following each of their last five Grey Cup appearances, win or lose, Winnipeg has opted to run it back the following year. That\u2019s mostly meant the Bombers have re-signed the vast majority of their core players ahead of free agency each off-season. And with a half-decade run of success, you couldn\u2019t really blame them.<\/p>\n
But considering an up-and-down regular season, another year of wear and tear on a veteran core, and an earlier than normal finish, retaining the status quo seems like far less of a sure thing. It feels like coach Mike O\u2019Shea and general manager Kyle Walters have significant big-picture decisions to make this winter.<\/p>\n
It starts with the future of quarterback Zach Collaros<\/a>, who will turn 38 partway through next season. Coming off a self-admitted frustrating campaign, the two-time Most Outstanding Player suggested he\u2019s favouring a return in 2026 following Saturday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to continue to do this,\u201d Collaros admitted<\/a>. \u201cI love this sport, I love this league, I love this organization, first and foremost, and I love my teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to do it. I want to continue to do it, but I want to play good football, and I want the guys who have been here\u2026for the run, I\u2019d like them to be here to do it because I think we can continue to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Collaros is under contract for the 2026 season, but many long-time Bombers teammates aren\u2019t in the same boat. And after an early playoff exit, the fates of a few veteran free agents feel less certain than they have the last number of off-seasons.<\/p>\n Of note, four-time Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Stanley Bryant is 39, while fellow lineman Patrick Neufeld turns 37 in December. Similarly, defensive linemen Willie Jefferson<\/a> and Jake Thomas<\/a> each turn 35 in the next couple of months. While all four are still playing at a high level, a philosophy change from the organization could lead to some partings of ways.<\/p>\n And while those decisions are being made, the Bombers will have some familiar cap considerations, too. Big names like Brady Oliveira<\/a>, Nic Demski<\/a>, Dalton Schoen<\/a>, Evan Holm, and Deatrick Nichols<\/a>, among others, are all free agents, too. While it\u2019s likely a good chunk of those names will sign back, even that seems more up in the air than we\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear Collaros would like to see Winnipeg run it back once again, and that very well may happen in some shape or form. But things feel different after this season and this weekend, which makes the Blue Bombers one of the most fascinating teams to watch with the off-season just around the corner.<\/p>\n LOTS TO BUILD ON<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Despite Saturday\u2019s crushing 33-30 loss to BC in the Western Semi-Final, I think it\u2019s safe to say the Calgary Stampeders are back.<\/p>\n After a pair of frustrating campaigns, including last year\u2019s that saw a run of consecutive playoff appearances end at 19 seasons, the Stamps finished 11-7 and gave the Lions all they could handle on the weekend. The year didn\u2019t end the way they wanted, but fans in Calgary should be excited about where things are headed.<\/p>\n \u201cI really don\u2019t think any team played with any more fire than our team,\u201d said head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson as the Stampeders cleared out their lockers Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make sure the guys are proud of what they accomplished. There\u2019s 11 wins, and more so just some great selfless people, some great teammates, and some guys that certainly\u2026gave everything they had. As a coach, you can\u2019t really ask for more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Calgary made sweeping changes last winter with the sole intent of returning to the high standard we\u2019ve become accustomed to. With an almost all-new coaching staff and a massively overhauled roster, the Stamps were strong in numerous statistical categories and missed out on hosting a playoff game by a tiebreaker.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Along the way, Calgary developed new stars in defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings, defensive end Clarence Hicks<\/a>, and linebacker Jacob Roberts<\/a>. With cornerstone pieces like Vernon Adams Jr. and Folarin Orimolade<\/a> already in place for 2026, and with what the team accomplished this season, the Stampeders have laid an impressive foundation.<\/p>\n That\u2019s notable knowing where things stood one year ago after a miserable 5-12-1 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think we made the right changes, and I think it\u2019s been proven we\u2019re moving in the right direction,\u201d Dickenson admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t have other areas to improve and continue to be better at. We haven\u2019t had a chance as an organization to really breathe and decide where we\u2019re at or even talk about it. But we know we did some good things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the end of one of the most impressive runs in recent CFL memory. 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