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Ruth Bonneville \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira speaks to the media for the first time since signing a three-year contract extension with the club Monday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Bombers made it loud and clear that they view the 28-year-old running back from Winnipeg as the star of their show. They wasted no time getting a deal done and made him an offer \u2014 a three-year extension that pays $290,000 in 2026, then $300,000 in both 2027 and 2028 \u2014 he couldn\u2019t refuse.<\/p>\n
Most CFL contracts are for one or two years, but Oliveira pushed hard for a third and viewed it as non-negotiable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love this city, I love Winnipeg, I love this organization, and for me to be here for another three years playing for my hometown, I\u2019ve said it before, it\u2019s like a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely wasn\u2019t expecting to get a deal done as quickly as we did. I thought I was going to go into the new year (unsigned),\u201d admitted Oliveira.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I was a lot happier with the way it played out. Getting this deal done before Christmas is like an early Christmas present for myself and for my family. So, I\u2019m extremely happy about that. And I think just how negotiations went, it was extremely seamless this time around. Winnipeg showed a lot of respect right off the jump with this and made it very easy to make this thing work. I love this city, I love Winnipeg, I love this organization, and for me to be here for another three years playing for my hometown, I\u2019ve said it before, it\u2019s like a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oliveira has already established himself as an all-time great in Bomberland. He became the first Winnipegger to win the CFL\u2019s Most Outstanding Player award (2024) and is also a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Canadian (2024 and 2025). He ranks sixth in franchise history with 5,480 career rushing yards, and is coming off another impressive campaign where he churned out 1,163 yards and three touchdowns on the ground while setting career highs in receiving with 61 catches for 546 yards.<\/p>\n
Three more years of similar production \u2014 and perhaps a championship \u2014 and he will further cement himself as one of the best to ever wear Blue and Gold.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Christopher Katsarov \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Oliveira ranks sixth in franchise history with 5,480 career rushing yards, and churned out 1,163 yards and three touchdowns on the ground last season and caught a career high 61 catches.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019d be lying to you to say I didn\u2019t think about that. At practices, during games, pre-games, do I look up at the Ring of Honour? Absolutely. Every single practice I look up at the Ring of Honour and think maybe one day that could be me. That\u2019d be very special,\u201d said Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cBut still got a lot of work to do and I\u2019m excited about that. Three more years in Winnipeg. And I still think after that, the way I take care of myself, I think I can still keep going. So I would say the future\u2019s bright.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Taylor Allen \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Gunnar \u2014 one of Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira\u2019s dogs and \u2018a good boy\u2019 \u2014 greets the press Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oliveira let it be known in his end of season media availability that he wanted to put himself in the best possible position to compete for a Grey Cup. It\u2019s too early to tell if he did that by re-signing with the Bombers as the team still has over 30 pending free agents.<\/p>\n It also remains to be seen who will be wearing the offensive co-ordinator headset after Jason Hogan struggled in his first year in the role. The Bombers interviewed Toronto Argonauts quarterbacks coach (now head coach) Mike Miller and former Ottawa Redblacks playcaller Tommy Condell last month for the OC gig.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll say this: obviously I trust this organization. Obviously, seeing (head coach Mike O\u2019Shea) sign back and (general manager) Kyle (Walters) sign back, I trust this organization. We\u2019ve been very successful for the last number of years so I put full trust in their hands,\u201d said Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019ve had a lot of great conversations over the last number of weeks with key guys that I think are massive parts of this organization and that helps us win games\u2026 Hopefully, it\u2019s a trickle effect of me signing and hopefully we get some other key pieces to sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Oliveira was already the highest paid tailback in the CFL in 2025 with his $240,000 salary. Saskatchewan Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette was a distant second at $160,000.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019ve shown to be consistent and productive week in and week out year after year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n Oliveira undoubtedly earned a raise, and after the Montreal Alouettes signed Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot to a deal worth $275,000 two weeks ago, it was obvious the Oak Park High School product was going to get an even higher number.<\/p>\n With that said, as great as Oliveira has been, it can be argued that the Bombers paid a premium for a position that many don\u2019t consider one of the most important on the field.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you need to stop paying players based off position but paying players off production,\u201d countered Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019ve shown to be consistent and productive week in and week out year after year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Oliveira is home for the holidays but will fly to Bali in January with Blumberg for three months to train out of Nirvana Life Fitness and Wellness Club and, of course, go on countless dog rescue missions.<\/p>\n The motivation for him this winter is simple: do what he can to get the Bombers back into the winner\u2019s circle.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, the way it ended last year \u2014 that (East semifinal) loss in Montreal \u2014 is still a memory that I think about to this day and you bring that with you throughout the off-season,\u201d said Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hard days in the gym. You wake up in the morning and you don\u2019t want to run. You think about those times and you want those results to be different. So, I\u2019ll put the work in and come ready to work for training camp in May and let\u2019s go win some football games.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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