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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman Stanley Bryant hopes his longevity in the league will inspire others.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s cool. I deal with it. I\u2019ll be 40 in a couple months so I\u2019ll be looking for something from you guys. May 7, by the way, so put that in your calendar,\u201d joked Bryant from his home in Charlotte, N.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut no, answering the age questions is no issue. I think it\u2019s a good thing that I\u2019m able to have this conversation and be able to play at the age of 40. You never know, it can inspire someone to want to continue whatever they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father Time remains undefeated but Bryant is taking him into the later rounds and putting up one hell of a fight.<\/p>\n
Last year was Bryant\u2019s 10th season in Winnipeg \u2014 15th overall in the CFL \u2014 and he was named the team\u2019s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman nominee for a seventh time (2017-22, 2024-25). The four-time winner of the league award (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) is still one of the best in the three-down loop and will be one of just four players who are 40-plus years old in 2026 with quarterback Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan) and kickers Ren\u00e9 Paredes (Calgary) and Sean Whyte (B.C.) being the others.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy fuel is honestly just knowing and believing that I can still play the game. That\u2019s always been my mindset,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone told me before that football is one of those things that once you\u2019re done you can\u2019t play it again. Basketball, baseball\u2026 you can go join an intramural league and have fun with your buddies, but football is one of those things you can\u2019t say you\u2019re going to go out and play once you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the secret? Bryant must have some advice for up-and-comers who aspire to play as long as he has.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I would tell them I don\u2019t have the answer. It\u2019s just one of those things I can\u2019t really describe or have the blueprint or try to explain to someone to get to the age of 40 to play,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if someone had asked me that, I\u2019d say, \u2018Get on your knees and say a prayer my brother.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t DARRYL DYCK \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Stanley Bryant (right) said he wanted to go out and compete for more Grey Cups with fellow Winnipeg Blue Bomber and offensive linemen Patrick Neufeld (left).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n He had no interest in testing free agency but he did feel he needed some time to contemplate whether or not he wanted to sign up for the grind of another season.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t leave some of my guys hanging, like Paddy (Neufeld) and Zach (Collaros) \u2014 I still want to go play with those guys and compete and go out there and try to win games and Grey Cups,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n The Bombers have clearly shown they still believe their current core can get them back to another Grey Cup as the club has signed almost all of their major pending free agents at this point. Only a few intriguing names like receivers Dalton Schoen (who is coming off back-to-back ACL tears) and Keric Wheatfall, defensive end James Vaughters, and corner Demerio Houston remain unsigned.<\/p>\n The communication window opens Feb. 1 before the market officially opens for business on Feb. 10.<\/p>\n \u201cI know we kind of took a dip last year and it wasn\u2019t up to everyone\u2019s standard with how we play and how the season ended, but that\u2019s OK,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have to turn that page and get started. It\u2019s a new year, new season, new team. We all know what the end goal is and where we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n And, of course, it only makes sense to close with one of those questions he\u2019s been asked over and over again: Will this upcoming season be the final one in his Hall of Fame career?<\/p>\n \u201cFor the last three, four years I\u2019ve been saying it\u2019s a year-to-year thing for me,\u201d responded Bryant.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this year will also be the same thing, just a year-to-year thing\u2026 But I could be like Benjamin Button, though. I could reverse the aging and get younger and younger. So, we\u2019ll see how that goes.\u201d<\/p>\n BOMBERS LOCK UP ANOTHER VET, SIGN PAIR OF PROSPECTS<\/p>\n Linebacker Kyrie Wilson is returning for a ninth season with the Blue Bombers.<\/p>\n The veteran defender from California inked a one-year contract extension Monday.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old recorded 49 defensive tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles last season and has suited up in 73 career games for the Blue and Gold.<\/p>\n The Bombers also signed two American rookies on Monday in linebacker Brandon Bouyer-Randle and offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua.<\/p>\n Bouyer-Randle heads up north after spending time on several NFL practice rosters between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns. He finished his time in the NCAA at Connecticut in 2022 where he made 98 tackles (34 solo, 64 assists), eight tackles for a loss, one sack, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in 13 games (10 starts) for the Huskies.<\/p>\n Mazzccua started his college career at Baylor before playing at Florida for a year and then finishing up at Nebraska in 2024 where he started three out of the nine games he appeared in.<\/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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