The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were highly active in free agency this year, adding 10 players from other CFL teams. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to take a look at how much the free-agent additions were paid, per sources, and how they’ll fit into the depth chart.
This biggest addition — financially, at least — was defensive end James Vaughters, who received a $45,000 signing bonus on a deal worth $160,000 in hard money. The 31-year-old native of Chicago, Ill. made a little over $170,000 with the Calgary Stampeders last year when he recorded 32 defensive tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles over 18 regular-season games.
General manager Kyle Walters made it clear that the Blue Bombers are looking for more production opposite Willie Jefferson. He appears optimistic that Vaughters can refind his form from 2023 when he made five sacks and two forced fumbles over only six games before suffering a season-ending arm injury.
Dillon Mitchell was Winnipeg’s second-highest-paid free-agent addition at $148,000 in hard money, including a $63,300 signing bonus. The University of Oregon product, who took the CFL by storm as a rookie with the Edmonton Elks in 2022 before two middling seasons in 2023 and 2024, also has an $8,000 bonus in his contract if he hits 2,000 receiving yards. Only three CFL players have ever reached that figure in a single season, so you have to admire the optimism.
Jonathan Jones received a $15,000 signing bonus to join the Blue Bombers on a contract worth $120,500 in hard money for 2025, which is significantly more than veteran Kyrie Wilson is set to make. As such, it seems fair to speculate that Jones is penciled in as the starter at weak-side linebacker, a spot he manned off and on over three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts.
Explosive playmaker Peyton Logan got a $10,000 signing bonus to come to Winnipeg on a deal worth $107,500 in hard money. The deal seems like a bargain considering the 26-year-old’s versatility. Logan is among the CFL’s best returners and should also play a significant role in Jason Hogan’s new offence as a change-of-pace running back behind Brady Oliveira and a receiver in the slot.
Shea Patterson will earn $88,000 in hard money to serve a depth role at quarterback, plus playtime incentives. The 28-year-old went 2-4-1 as a starter with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season, throwing for 1,655 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions, earning the team’s only win over Winnipeg.
Winnipeg’s two other receiver signings, Reggie White Jr. and Jerreth Sterns, will both make between $85,000 and $90,000 in hard money. These are bargain-rate contracts for players looking to reignite their CFL careers. White Jr. was once poised to break out with the Alouettes before suffering a devastating knee that caused him to miss the entire 2023 season, while Sterns was outshone over two years in a deep Saskatchewan receiver room.
The team’s four Canadian depth signings — receiver Gavin Cobb, defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock, and defensive backs Josh Hagerty and Enock Makonzo — will all make between $80,000 and $85,000 in hard money plus incentives. None of the additions, two of whom played collegiately at the University of Manitoba, are expected to be day-one starters, but all four could be on the active roster come the first week of the regular season.
There’s been speculation that Winnipeg, likely the CFL’s most profitable team, could stuff contracts with marketing money to massage the salary cap. Due to a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement, teams are able to pay players an essentially unlimited amount of cash in marketing money, none of which counts against the salary cap.
Based on their recent signings, it’s clear the Blue Bombers didn’t do this. Jones has $8,000 of marketing money in his deal, Logan has $7,500, and Vaughters has $5,000, none of which are particularly significant sums. The king of CFL marketing money is still easily B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, who will earn $200,000 off the salary cap in 2025.
With the Grey Cup set to be played in Winnipeg for the first time in a decade, many local fans were hoping the team would throw the salary cap out the window and spend like drunken sailors. For better or worse, that didn’t happen. Had the team done so, it seems likely that Kenny Lawler, Liam Dobson, and Tyrell Ford would still be wearing blue and gold.
Let’s examine how these new additions will fit into Winnipeg’s depth chart. The outline below is obviously unofficial — there will be plenty more changes to the roster before training camp — but it is one interpretation of how things currently stand. This depth chart is based on sourcing, last year’s depth charts, and historical precedent.
The receiving corps will miss Lawler’s explosiveness but it’s still a good group, especially with Dalton Schoen returning from an ACL tear that caused him to miss almost all of last season. Dobson will be missed at left guard and though Kendall Randolph, Tui Eli, and Gabe Wallace have all fared decently in spot duty, one would think the Blue Bombers will address the offensive line in April’s draft.
Brady Oliveira remains the best running back in the CFL, while the depth behind Zach Collaros has arguably improved with the addition of Patterson and Terry Wilson entering his second CFL season. Chris Streveler is back as the likely No. 2 behind Collaros and may have a larger role in the offence under Hogan after not seeing much action outside of short-yardage in 2024.
One could argue that Winnipeg’s defensive line and linebacking corps have improved from last year, depending on how well Vaughters and Jones fit into Jordan Younger’s system. The secondary will miss Tyrell Ford at field-side cornerback, though the team still seems high on Jamal Parker after he missed all of last season due to injury.
Logan is a significant upgrade at returner, a spot that was a revolving door for most of last year. Winnipeg finished eighth in punt return average and kick return average in 2024 and it’s likely that they’ll improve in both categories in 2025.
Arguably the biggest drawback for the Blue Bombers this offseason is their ratio flexibility. The team consistently started eight Canadians — one more than the minimum requirement — almost all of last season and sometimes started as many as ten. Following the departures of Dobson and Ford, the team simply doesn’t have that type of flexibility anymore, which could spell trouble if they’re bitten by the injury bug.
This year’s draft is considered pretty deep and the Blue Bombers will likely end up with four picks in the top 26 selections, giving them a good chance to round out their Canadian depth before training camp gets underway. Even with these additions, however, the team will no longer be the envy of the CFL when it comes to ratio flexibility.
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