Bombers win some, lose some – Winnipeg Free Press

Before we get into everything CFL, this goes out to all the Swifties.

It was a priority to get Zach Collaros on the phone Tuesday to get his reaction to the Blue Bombers' banner day in Winnipeg. I couldn't resist asking about his adventures when the team's star quarterback at the time was seen on national television sharing a suite with global music sensation Taylor Swift.

“We got to the door of the suite, like seven bodyguards. “I'm the first person and he's standing there with other people and he's like, 'Hi, I'm Taylor,'” Collaros said, noting that he declined several media requests the day after the game because he didn't understand all the hoopla. “He was very good. As soon as we entered, he went out of his way to introduce himself to us.''

Collaros and Swift were at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 21 to support Travis Kelce and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs as they battled the Buffalo Bills in an AFC divisional playoff game.

Swift has been dating North America's most talked-about couple for months, Kelsey. Collaros is a friend and former college teammate of the Chiefs' star tight end, as well as his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelsey.

They have been close since their playing days at the University of Cincinnati.

The Chiefs won, then beat the Baltimore Ravens a week later to advance to this Sunday's Super Bowl in Las Vegas against the San Francisco 49ers.

The joy of the victory in Buffalo was overshadowed by the ridiculous antics of Jason Kelce, who went to the game with Collaros and spent most of the evening shirtless, annoying Bills fans who surprisingly loved him.

As the audience wondered what was going on—Jason had indeed climbed through the front window of the suite and climbed into the stands—the antics barely registered on Collaros. It's a show he's seen many times before, and when Kelce considered putting his shirt back on, Collaros encouraged him to go bare for the rest of the game.

“Everybody and their mother knew who he was in Buffalo,” Collaros said. “I couldn't believe it. It was very surreal. He's just a guy who likes to have fun and makes fun of himself half the time.”

With that said, let's take a look at the latest edition of the CFL Rundown.

1) Kudos to Bombers general manager Kyle Walters and his staff for signing hometown star Brady Oliveira and one of the CFL's top wide receivers, Dalton Schoen, to hours contracts on Tuesday. I'm surprised they both came back, people inside the organization thought there was less than a 10 percent chance of anything happening. Needless to say, they are 100 percent happy now.

2) The Bombers will never get back the $250,000 Oliveira is asking for, not to mention the thousands offered by the Hamilton Tigers and BC Lions. So there was a long period of radio silence between the two sides during the offseason. Credit to the 26-year-old for sweating it out in the process and playing tough in negotiations, despite never having any intention of leaving or chasing money. Oliveira will become the highest paid running back in the CFL, and the Bombers have a hometown record breaking league record for my money.

3) When Oliveira signed, I immediately knew Schoen was gone. Instead, he signed a one-year contract for $230,000 — the same amount Oliveira will earn in 2024. Like Oliveira, Schoen wanted to return and was willing to take less than he deserved to stay. Schoen didn't like him as much as he deserved, and wasn't offered the $300,000-a-year deal for elite receivers — that's for sure. My sense is that Schoen is playing the long game here, banking on another stellar season with the Bombers, then cashing in next year when there's a little more money around.

4) In my interview with Collaros, he was very disappointed that Jermarcus Hardrick left for Saskatchewan. Hardrick spent the last four of his seven seasons in Winnipeg at right tackle. Then Drew Richmond, who had been with the club for the past three years and was expected to replace Hardrick, announced his retirement at the age of 28. Jeff Gray may not be re-signed as the Bombers rely more heavily on Tui Eli and Liam Dobson for bigger roles, fans are understandably worried. The Bombers are aware of Richmond's potential retirement, and with Hardrick losing his burden, I expect them to look for an experienced tackle at a reasonable price. I don't see them playing a rookie in such an important position.

5) The Bombers lost star cornerback Demerio Houston, who signed a two-year deal with the Calgary Stampeders that will pay him nearly $140,000 per season, or nearly double what he was paid last year. Houston had a breakout season in 2023, leading the CFL in tackles with seven, though his coverage skills waned each year. Winnipeg drafted safety Brandon Alexander on Wednesday night to alleviate the loss of the secondary.

6) The Bombers have spoken to striker Sergio Castillo, but still have some work to do. Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat will test the open market. It will be a huge loss for Winnipeg, but a necessary evil to match the salary cap.

7) I talked last week about how exciting the number of quality running backs entering free agency is and the potential for several to find new football homes. The dominoes began to fall after Oliveira re-signed, AJ Ouellette flew in from Toronto to sign a two-year deal with Saskatchewan, and William Stanback sealed a one-year commitment with BC. Both are out of contract tomorrow and are not expected to re-sign with their last employers.

8) Jeopardy riders wasted little time in making their presence known, diving head first and making the biggest splash of this week's legal break window. Along with Ouellette, Saskatchewan also signed Hardrick and linebacker Jameer Thurman. These are good pickups, but it cost the riders a lot, including a hefty lift for all three. By math, the trio is paying $135,000 more than they earned in 2023. I'm not sure about these moves and predict that the Riders will miss the playoffs again, as they did with Ottawa the last two winters. in 2024. There are too many moving pieces, including a new head coach in Corey Mays. I think better days are ahead in Ryderville.

9) The Argonauts will be a very different club compared to the 16-2 club they produced last year. In one day, the Argos lost Ouellette, linebacker Adarius Pickett (Ott), defensive back Jamal Peters (Ham), defensive lineman Dewayne Hendricks (Ham), special teams tight end Javon Leake (Edm) and punter Boris Bede (Edm). . It's a multi-star effort for a bye, but that's been Toronto's thing in recent years. They have a strong scouting staff that can fill any gaps and rarely overpay players. Seems to lose a lot of things quickly.

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Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After several injuries playing hockey that included broken wrists, hands and jaws; medial collateral ligament tears in both knees; and with a collapsed lung, Jeff felt his interest in sports was better off the ice and in the classroom.

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