{"id":561737,"date":"2026-03-26T09:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/561737\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:14:09","slug":"winnipeg-blue-bombers-planned-zach-collaros-pay-cut-prior-to-cfl-free-agent-spending-spree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/561737\/","title":{"rendered":"Winnipeg Blue Bombers planned Zach Collaros pay cut prior to CFL free-agent spending spree"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo: Reuben Polansky\/3DownNation. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers planned ahead to have $50,000 extra to spend in CFL free agency, courtesy franchise quarterback Zach Collaros.<\/p>\n

General manager Kyle Walters had a simple conversation with the two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player and three-time Grey Cup champion about reducing his 2026 compensation from $600,000 to $550,000<\/a> before the signing period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Zach if that\u2019d be something he\u2019d be interested in. He said, \u2018If it helps the team, for sure.\u2019 That was about the extent of it,\u201d Walters shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we laid out the plan to Zach and said, \u2018Here\u2019s what we\u2019re thinking, this would help.\u2019 He\u2019s like, \u2018Whatever I can do to help, I\u2019m on board.\u2019 Despite it coming out a little bit later \u2014 the paperwork \u2014 it was all decided prior to those signings.\u201d<\/p>\n

In February, Jarell Broxton signed a two-year contract with the Blue Bombers worth $250,000 per season<\/a>, which made him the highest-paid American offensive lineman in the CFL. Jake Ceresna is set to earn $235,000 in hard money in 2026, making him one of the highest-paid defensive linemen.<\/p>\n

American receiver Tim White inked a deal worth $222,000 in hard money for the upcoming season, while Canadian Tommy Nield put pen to paper for $175,000. Defensive back Jonathan Moxey signed on for $135,000 in hard money.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Winnipeg put Collaros\u2019 funds to use with an aim to take at least one more shot at a Grey Cup with him as QB1. The Blue Bombers upgraded at right tackle with Broxton, signed an all-star-calibre pass catcher, and a Canadian target with upside.<\/p>\n

These moves should give No. 8\u2019s offence a chance to improve. Winnipeg ranked seventh in offensive points scored last year with 416. Ottawa and Edmonton had fewer as both teams missed the playoffs. If the Bombers want to get back on top in the West Division, more points need to be scored.<\/p>\n

\u201cZach\u2019s a stud, that guy is amazing,\u201d head coach Mike O\u2019Shea said. \u201cHe\u2019s a terrific leader. Zach can win us a championship. Zach can be a part of a team that wins a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s limited playing experience behind Collaros at the quarterback position in the Manitoba capital. Terry Wilson has not started a CFL game but he\u2019s taken meaningful snaps in a Grey Cup. Walters stated he and assistant general manager Danny McManus have a list of quarterbacks with playing experience in case one is needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still\u00a0waiting on Taylor Elgersma<\/a>. I think they\u2019re still trying to work through the work permit down there (in the UFL). I\u2019m not sure how that\u2019s all going to shake down, so still an unknown,\u201d Walters said. \u201cI\u2019m going to see how all that shakes down with training camp numbers and quarterbacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers do not anticipate signing a veteran quarterback \u2014 such as McLeod Bethel-Thompson \u2014 prior to training camp, but that could change between now and Sunday, May 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo: Reuben Polansky\/3DownNation. All rights reserved. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers planned ahead to have $50,000 extra to spend…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[166835,166836,22070,22936,49,48,7028,521,522,520,68627,191784,904,170990,82,173382,7504,52049],"class_list":["post-561737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-3down","tag-3downnation","tag-blue-bombers","tag-bombers","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-grey-cup","tag-kyle-walters","tag-manitoba","tag-mike-oshea","tag-sports","tag-taylor-elgersma","tag-winnipeg-blue-bombers","tag-zach-collaros"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561737","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=561737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}