Blue Bombers -- 2025/26 Offseason -- Discussion Thread

[Goalie]

4 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Canadian OL are the highest paid group collectively across the board. 

Are they now with Hatcher lawler and the sorts making more as WRs? I dunno man. But you probably right. Lowest Canadian OL salary prob higher than receiver salary. Average. But maybe not anymore. I dunno seems like the starters get paid. 

Edited yesterday at 12:48 AM by Goalie

[bigg jay]

6 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Boo hoo really from the bitter obviously released player from camp they got that quote from. 

Nope, they can only vote/comment on their current team.

[SpeedFlex27]

Just now, Goalie said:

Are they now with Hatcher lawler and the sorts making more as WRs? 

Yeah, I think they still are but bringing in more Americans is lowering the pay scale. These guys had it so easy money wise for thirty years. All becauase coaches didn't want Americans playing on the OL. They wanted them at skill positions. However, it took years to build an All canadian OL. The Bombers never could do it under Osh though they came close. Things started turning around for the line in 2014/5 when they signed that huge American Guard who was 300 lbs plus. 

Just now, bigg jay said:

Nope, they can only vote/comment on their current team.

Yeah, talking to former players would certainly be sour grapes. 

[Goalie]

2 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Nope, they can only vote/comment on their current team.

Oh really eh. Well. Cut that dude cuz kind of a soft quote. TC appears quite pointless here. But perhaps insight into why free agents don’t sign here? I’m not sure i even understand the point of the players survey. 

Edited yesterday at 12:51 AM by Goalie

[SpeedFlex27]

17 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Oh really eh. Well. Cut that dude cuz kind of a soft quote. TC appears quite pointless here. 

It ain't what it used to be. Especially in the Jim Spavital era where they went at it for 2 weeks with two a days full hitting every practice in the hot June & July sun. No days off. Spav was crazy. Screaming & yelling. Never happy. He reached a new level of brutality unmatched since.

I was a teen & used to bike to TC at St John's Ravenscourt to watch as my exams were over in school. The hitting went on constantly. Every drill & scrimmage was contact & collision. However, I remember one thing. As TC went on, fewer players were getting hurt. And fewer players quit by sneakimg out during the night.  They had to survive that first week. The second week seemed easier & they really toughened up.

However, I know every single player there hated the entire camp experience & their HC. Then a 4 game exhibition season after that. TC would start mid June, the exhibition season one game a week & then the regular season the first week of August. Six weeks of hell for the players. 

Edited yesterday at 01:07 AM by SpeedFlex27

[Noeller]

If anyone wants the full report (at least what was released):

 

https://cflpa.com/club-reportcards-2025

 

 

[HardCoreBlue]

2 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Canadian OL are the highest paid group collectively across the board. 

Compared to other positions? Really? I thought otherwise. I sit corrected.

[SpeedFlex27]

Just now, HardCoreBlue said:

Compared to other positions? Really? I thought otherwise. I sit corrected.

The pay scale has changed now so i could be wrong. Up until 2 or 3 seasons ago as a group they were. Some of these Canadian OL  couldn't start yet they got paid more than American OL who were better. 

[HardCoreBlue]

4 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The pay scale has changed now so i could be wrong. Up until 2 or 3 seasons ago as a group they were. Some of these Canadian OL  couldn't start yet they got paid more than American OL who were better. 

Like more than wide receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, running backs etc. etc.?

[SpeedFlex27]

I remember a time when Canadian OL were the lowest paid & least appreciated players on the team. I can only imagine what the Bombers paid G Ed Kotowich, T Cornell Piper, C  Ray Ash, G Steve Patrick & T Roger Savoie during their 4 Grey Cups in 5 year run. Indeed, most Cnadians in the CFL were underpaid back then. Even thousand yard rusher Gerry James James despised Bud Grant claiming he hated Canadians & if he had his way he would cut all of them. After a contract dispute in the 62-63 offseason, Grant traded James to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1964 after James sat out the 1963 season. The Riders were the worst team in the CFL at the time James retired after the 64 season season in Regina.  He had hard feelings towards the Bombers even though his name is up on the Wall Of fame at PAS up to the day he died. 

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Like more than wide receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, running backs etc. etc.?

it wasn't uncommon to pay canadians $150-200,000 a year a few years ago. Most made over $120,000 a decade ago. 

Edited 22 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[GCn20]

A coach needs to be a good communicator, know how to get the best from his players, and get 100% buy in. What you did on the field is irrelevant. 

There are very few guys who come in that require extensive coaching in technique. If you got a guy on your team that lacking in technique it's because he's a beast, so you let him be a beast. Guys lacking in tech are shown the door fast unless they are a Stove type of player.

[bigg jay]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers make Evan Holm CFL's highest-paid American DB - 3DownNation

$180,000 in hard money in 2026 with up to $6k in bonuses.  in 2027, he gets $185,000 in hard money with $55,000 being guaranteed.

Edited 12 hours ago by bigg jay

[SpeedFlex27]

5 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Winnipeg Blue Bombers make Evan Holm CFL's highest-paid American DB - 3DownNation

$180,000 in hard money in 2026 with up to $6k in bonuses.  in 2027, he gets $185,000 in hard money with $55,000 being guaranteed.

Walters better not say he has no money to sign quality CFL free agents. 

Edited 12 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[wpgallday1960]

33 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Walters better not say he has no money to sign quality CFL free agents. 

He’s spent it already.

[Arnold_Palmer]

41 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Winnipeg Blue Bombers make Evan Holm CFL's highest-paid American DB - 3DownNation

$180,000 in hard money in 2026 with up to $6k in bonuses.  in 2027, he gets $185,000 in hard money with $55,000 being guaranteed.

I don’t think this should be a surprise. If you lock up any young All star player, prior to free agency you already know they’re going to be getting compensated by choosing not to make it to free agency. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

Average league salary is pushing $130,000 with current cap number and the rookies still make under $90,000....significantly less for American rookies.

These numbers aren't outlandish.

Teams are ready to pay $250,000+ for decent Canadian OL and starters now.

The "highest paid" whatever headlines today are kind of laughable considering 45% of the league are free agents.  That's going to change by February.

Edited 11 hours ago by JuranBoldenRules

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I don’t think this should be a surprise. If you lock up any young All star player, prior to free agency you already know they’re going to be getting compensated by choosing not to make it to free agency. 

I mean, I am only surprised we didn't lock him in before the year-end and use up cap space from last year. 

It's a wild time. I think teams are going to over spend projections before free agency starts, making it more affordable and competitive. 

It's crazy how we went from a team that didn't pay DBs, to having one of the most expensive secondaries in the league. (We were pretty high on that list last year too) 

 

2 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Walters better not say he has no money to sign quality CFL free agents. 

QFT

[Pete]

2 hours ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I don’t think this should be a surprise. If you lock up any young All star player, prior to free agency you already know they’re going to be getting compensated by choosing not to make it to free agency. 

To me the issue is once again we are spending all this money to retain players on a team that wasnt good enough last year

We need to improve our core

[rebusrankin]

Is now a bad time to mention that with my new deal, I am now among the highest paid posters on MBB?

[Mark H.]

41 minutes ago, Pete said:

We need to improve our core

They have...by subtraction.

[JuranBoldenRules]

42 minutes ago, Pete said:

To me the issue is once again we are spending all this money to retain players on a team that wasnt good enough last year

We need to improve our core

You don't think they can win with Holm and Nichols at HB?

[johnzo]

26 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Is now a bad time to mention that with my new deal, I am now among the highest paid posters on MBB?

related: I'm committed to exploring the open market but there is no truth to the reports that Riderfans has been tampering with me.

Edited 8 hours ago by johnzo

[HardCoreBlue]

6 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

They have...by subtraction.

Exactly what I was thinking. Shaving around the edges then buffering it with upgrades.

[johnzo]

1 minute ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Exactly what I was thinking. Shaving around the edges then buffering it with upgrades.

don't need to pull a Reinebold.  our 1996 team was clearly not good enough, but absolutely gutting the roster turned out to be ... not a great move in 1997.

[HardCoreBlue]

Just now, johnzo said:

related: I'm committed to exploring the open market and there is no truth to the reports that Riderfans has been tampering with me.

First of all Riderfans wouldn't know what tampering means and second of all if you're not related to any of them biologically you're safe in what they would want to do with you.