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Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Tommy Nield carries the ball against Montreal Alouettes\u2019 Najee Murray during the 112th Grey Cup, in Winnipeg last November. Nield, a 26-year-old from Guelph, Ont., recently signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in free agency.<\/p>\n
Nield, a 26-year-old receiver from Guelph, Ont., recently signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in free agency that will reportedly pay him $175,000 in 2026 and $187,500 in 2027. The hefty pay bump came his way after a breakout campaign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy agent had said he had some conversations with (Saskatchewan), but they never reached out with an offer so I kind of put two and two together,\u201d said Nield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I heard Winnipeg called and showed their interest, it just felt like I was going somewhere where I\u2019m wanted and I couldn\u2019t be more excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
After cutting his teeth with the Toronto Argonauts for four years, he signed with the Riders and posted career highs across the board \u2014 42 catches, 535 receiving yards, and five touchdowns \u2014 in what was his first season being a consistent starter. But things didn\u2019t look promising at the start. Nield suffered an ankle injury in the pre-season that sidelined him for the first five games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking to myself I\u2019m on a new team, I just got hurt, I don\u2019t know what the rest of the year is going to look like for me, but just try to stay positive and locked in each day and once I do get that opportunity again, try to make the most of it,\u201d said Nield, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 CFL Draft.<\/p>\n
And he did. He made a statement on Labour Day against the Bombers with a 69-yard touchdown grab and his role only grew from there. When the West Final rolled around, his number was called in crunch time and he responded with a three-yard touchdown catch to lift the Riders to a 24-21 victory over the B.C. Lions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat play against B.C., it had been in (the playbook) for a bunch of weeks. We ran it in practice and it always worked but we hadn\u2019t called it in a game yet,\u201d said Nield.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like \u2018When is it coming?\u2019 And then I hear that play called in that moment, and I think to myself \u2018I\u2019m about to score the game-winner right here.\u2019 Sure enough, it happened and it was just a crazy feeling. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also solidified his nickname: Touchdown Tommy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of my teammates in Toronto called me that, but I only scored two touchdowns in Toronto so I\u2019m like yeah, I can score in practice, but it doesn\u2019t really count,\u201d said Nield.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone asked me last year \u2018Hey, what do you think of that nickname?\u2019 It\u2019s pretty cool. You don\u2019t come up with your nickname, but there\u2019s a lot worse ones out there. It fits for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Riders finished the job a week later by outlasting the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 at Princess Auto Stadium. It was the third Grey Cup win of Nield\u2019s young career as he won two titles (2022 and 2024) with the Argos in games that came against Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
Nield\u2019s hoping he can bring his good fortune to the Bombers and help a third team reach the top of the CFL mountain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be historical, for sure. It\u2019s exciting to think about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning in Winnipeg would be incredible because I\u2019ve only seen how much the Bombers mean out there. Winning a Grey Cup with them would be insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the ink was even dry on his new contract, Nield was already trying to help the Bombers build a championship contender. The Canadian pass catcher is part of a stacked FA class that\u2019s headed to Winnipeg featuring OL Jarell Broxton, DL Jake Ceresna, CB Jonathan Moxey, and REC Tim White.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was teammates with Jake in Toronto. I saw something on Twitter saying \u2018Jake Ceresna considering Winnipeg as an option\u2019 or something,\u201d said Nield.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, after I signed, I messaged him on Instagram being like \u2018Come to Winnipeg!\u2019 and he messaged me 10 minutes later saying \u2018I just did!\u2019 and I was like \u2018OK, sick.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be cool to be back with him. And obviously the other two, and (receiver) Tim White as well, those are big time additions. I\u2019m excited to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Nield on the roster, the Bombers now have the option to start three Canadians at receiver. Nic Demski is, obviously, locked in while Kevens Clercius and Joey Corcoran are expected to battle for the other spot. That would give the Bombers more flexibility with the ratio and allow them to start three Americans on the offensive line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready to go right now. Being put in that offence with Zach (Collaros), I know he throws a great ball and I\u2019m just excited to build that chemistry and really take off next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n
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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
Reporter
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