Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive lineman Stanley Bryant is not only returning for a fifteenth CFL season but hasn’t ruled out playing beyond 2025, indicating he’d like to take things year by year. He also doesn’t believe his abilities have declined whatsoever, saying he’s still 100 percent the player he once was.
“I’m not gonna discredit myself and think that I can’t still play to a high standard. I think I’m still one of the top guys, I think I’m still the best guy in the league, and I think that I’m going to continue to show that,” Bryant told the media on Tuesday. “Age is just a number. I’m gonna put in the work and effort to continue to stay at the level that I’m at now.”
The 38-year-old, who will turn 39 in May, signed a one-year contract extension with the Blue Bombers on Monday, tying him to the team for a tenth straight season.
Despite his age, there are plenty of reasons for Bryant to feel confident about his level of play. He’s a nine-time All-West Division selection, eight-time All-CFL selection, four-time Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, and three-time Grey Cup champion. The accolades have continued to come late into his career, earning an All-CFL selection in 2024 and winning his most recent Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2022.
Only six players in league history have more All-CFL selections than Bryant and only 20 have more Grey Cup appearances. He’s also the only player ever to win Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman more than twice.
The six-foot-five, 319-pound blocker said he received a signing bonus as part of his new deal, which initially appeared to be an indication the Blue Bombers finished the 2024 season under the salary cap. After all, general manager Kyle Walters said last week that the team would use all remaining cap space on signing bonuses for next year.
However, a club spokesperson has since clarified that Bryant’s bonus will be applied to the 2025 salary cap, so it remains unclear if Winnipeg has extra money to spend.
Bryant also indicated that his pay next year will be “on the same lines” as this past season. According to exclusive reporting from 3DownNation, he made a little over $170,000 this year, putting him just outside the ten highest-paid offensive linemen league-wide.
The native of Goldboro, N.C. is already the fifth-oldest player in the CFL. Of the four players older than him, two — Calgary’s Rene Paredes and B.C.’s Sean Whyte — are kickers, and the others — Saskatchewan’s Philip Blake and Montreal’s Kristian Matte — missed almost the entire season due to injury, dressing for a combined eight games with two starts.
Bryant has now played 219 career regular season CFL games, which is tied for No. 64 all-time alongside the great John Helton. He has already played more games than legends like Milt Stegall, Bryan Chiu, Tracy Ham, Garney Henley, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Jurasin, Don Narcisse, and Leroy Blugh.
If Bryant plays all 18 regular season games for Winnipeg in 2025, he’ll move up to No. 37 on the all-time list, leapfrogging players like Ricky Ray, John Bowman, Nik Lewis, Chip Cox, Willie Pless, and Ben Cahoon. Of the 34 players ahead of him, there would be 12 kickers and six quarterbacks. He would also be the only non-kicker to take a snap post-2020 ranked anywhere near that high.
This year’s Grey Cup defeat played a role in Bryant’s decision to return, calling the 41-24 loss to the Toronto Argonauts a “blown opportunity.” The Blue Bombers have dropped three straight championship games in upset fashion: two to the Argonauts and one to the Montreal Alouettes. Despite the setbacks, the team has a chance to do something next year that’s never been done before in club history: win the Grey Cup at home.
“It would be beautiful,” said Bryant. “I know it’s a long way from now — it’s a year from now — but it would be a match made in heaven. It would be a good way to see us get back to that point again and finally find a way to win. I think the city will love it, the fans will love it, the organization would love it. It would be very special.”
2025 will mark the first time Winnipeg hosts the Grey Cup since 2015, which also happened to be Bryant’s first year with the Blue Bombers.
What a special celebration that would be, indeed.
Editor’s note: a previous version of this article indicated that Bryant’s signing bonus would be applied to the salary cap in 2024.
