Published Nov 19, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n It had been a long time since we heard from Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. Too long, to be honest.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A person in that position should be making himself available more than three times a year.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n So when Walters finally stepped onto the podium for a Q &A with the Winnipeg media on Wednesday, the questions were piled up like old newspapers on the front step of a deserted home.<\/p>\n On top of that stack: the failure to get his team into its home-field Grey Cup, an opportunity that only comes around once every decade or so.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a little depressing, to be honest with you,\u201d Walters said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it would have mattered where it was. I guess if it was in a different city it wouldn\u2019t be right in your face, the disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n After five straight Grey Cup appearances, the last three of them losses, Walters\u2019 squad took a step back this season. It still cobbled together a 10-8 record, but clearly wasn\u2019t the well-rounded team it used to be.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In fact its passing attack was the CFL\u2019s worst.<\/p>\n Sift through that stack of old headlines and you\u2019ll find, buried at the bottom, the one about star receiver Kenny Lawler bolting for Hamilton as a free agent last winter.<\/p>\n Lawler would later say he wanted to stay but the Bombers didn\u2019t make him a priority, only making him an offer the day before he hit the market.<\/p>\n Walters on Wednesday told another story, that he was talking to Lawler\u2019s agent even through the 2024 season, trying to head off the trouble that eventually led to the split.<\/p>\n \u201cKenny is a very emotional young man, which makes him really good on the football field,\u201d Walters said. \u201cI deal with the agent on that sort of stuff\u2026 it wasn\u2019t the day before free agency. We had lots of talks. And it did not work out. Kenny went on and had a great year.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very similar to the first time when Kenny left (for) Edmonton, where we thought there was a decent number and then another team came in quite a bit over the top. And it was like, \u2018Okay, good for you and your family.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019ll recall this story included the bizarre twist of the CFL salary cap shooting up by nearly half a million dollars just before free agency opened.<\/p>\n Yet Walters said at the time he was operating under the old cap, echoing what other teams were saying.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot of uncertainty around that time,\u201d the GM said on Wednesday. \u201cYou wake up and all of a sudden the cap\u2019s gone up \u2013 or has it? You did not see a massive influx of spending when that came out. The timing of that was very, very peculiar.\u201d<\/p>\n Walters says all the verbal agreements were made by then. There was no circling back, either by agents or by him, to renegotiate what had already been done.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Lawler\u2019s departure was just one factor, albeit it a big one.<\/p>\n Overall, it just feels like the so-called Canadian Mafia \u2013 Walters, CEO Wade Miller and head coach Mike O\u2019Shea \u2013 failed to do everything it could to try to get to that Grey Cup game.<\/p>\n Other pieces of evidence include the hiring of a rookie, unproven offensive coordinator in Jason Hogan, leaving holes on the offensive line and not even coming close to replacing Lawler.<\/p>\n Walters insists he spent to the cap, but also acknowledged it\u2019ll be because he used the one-game injury list far more often than he normally would. Players on the one-game list count towards the cap, while they don\u2019t count if they\u2019re placed on the six-game list.<\/p>\n In other words, whup-de-doo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was disappointing,\u201d Walters said. \u201cThe bar that has been set organizationally is four years of winning the West and five years of Grey Cups. To not sustain that feels like a let down and a step backwards, and it was a step backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The challenge: how to prevent taking another one, given the age of key players and the soon-to-be free-agent status of others, like tailback Brady Oliveira.<\/p>\n Walters knows that won\u2019t be an easy negotiation.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we want Brady back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n One thing in his favour: the return of O\u2019Shea. Had the coach bolted, all bets would be off.<\/p>\n The head man and the GM had lunch together after they signed their new three-year deals and chewed on the task at hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s less yelling and screaming,\u201d Walters said of their working relationship. \u201cEvery discussion no longer has to be a yelling match of points getting across to each other. We\u2019re able to discuss our issues and plans. It\u2019s an exciting time for us, a new chapter\u2026 we\u2019re ready for the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Walters says when he looks back at his career and the 2025 campaign, he hopes to see much more than the failed opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we look back and say this was a good turning point for the organization. No arguing that we took a step back. Now let\u2019s re-set and get back. I\u2019m hoping this starts that process.\u201d<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-294744","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ws20240214cp02-wp.jpg\")
CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers GM Kyle Walters. The Bombers drafted eight players in the CFL draft on Tuesday night. Photo by Winnipeg Sun \/winnipeg sunArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-sun-headlineNews.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n