Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ general manager Kyle Walters is operating as if the CFL’s recent salary cap increase never happened — and he believes the rest of the league is following suit.
The league and CFL Players’ Association both put out statements on Wednesday, February 5 announcing that the salary expenditure cap would go up by more than $400,000 over expected in 2025. However, those entrusted by CFL teams to spend that money were blindsided by the news in the midst of one of the most important periods in the off-season calendar.
“I’ll tell you, it was an interesting one. Like everybody, when you guys found out, when the PA released the statement about the cap, is when I did. It certainly was surprising and kind of caught most people off guard, I think,” Walters revealed to the media on Thursday.
“Organizationally, we’re just operating as normal, though — as if nothing’s changed. Until further notice, that’s our plan is to keep plugging along as we were.”
CFL teams expected the salary cap limit to be $5,650,000 in 2025 but the revenue growth sharing model enshrined in the collective bargaining agreement has driven it to $6,062,365 — marking the second-largest single-year jump in modern CFL history. Unfortunately, that increase was revealed three days after the league’s free agency communication window had opened, when teams’ financial strategies were already set and most top players had already verbally agreed to terms on new contracts.
With those agreements not being legally binding until February 11, there was speculation that the influx of cash could cause chaos with players reneging on deals and general managers throwing extra dollars at top-of-the-market talent. Instead, there was virtually no movement at all and Walters confirmed he didn’t even circle back with his own departing free agents to offer new money.
“At the time, with the way it is in this window, everybody had handshake agreements or verbal agreements, and there was a lot of uncertainty with the salary cap about whether agents and teams would kind of rethink things and start over. And I think across the board, the answer is no. I think most teams were thinking the same thing,” he explained.
“Of all the reported verbal agreements, I think all of them have been followed through, if I’m correct. I can only speak for our team, but it certainly didn’t change any of the strategies and planning prior to that. Instead, it was rather confusing.”
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, CFL teams must spend to a salary cap floor that is set at $600,000 below the max. Given that the new floor is still under the previous cap ceiling that teams were planning to spend in 2025, nothing is forcing them to utilize the additional funds before getting greater clarity on the unprecedented situation.
While that could be as simple as getting a thumbs up from the board or ownership, teams are also wary of the CFLPA potentially changing course and applying their revenue share in other ways after hearing from membership. The union has the option to instead put that money into increased pensions or greater preseason and postseason compensation.
“There was some fairly confusing times during all of this, and I am not privy to those meetings or discussions. So until further notice, we’re just going to operate to the point of the original cap, and wait and see what happens,” Walters reiterated, before acknowledging that there are still ways to take advantage of an increased cap later on if it stays intact.
“Various teams can use the salary cap where they so choose. If you want to spend it all on your 45-man roster, you want to pay your practice roster guys, or expand your one-game. injured budget — once it’s all sorted out, teams can strategize however they like.”
The Blue Bombers were hit hard in free agency, losing all-star receiver Kenny Lawler, ratio-breaking Canadian corner Tyrell Ford, and burgeoning offensive lineman Liam Dobson to pricey bids from other teams. By keeping to their existing financial budget, Walters missed out on the opportunity to lure those impact players back to Winnipeg for a season in which the city is set to host the Grey Cup.
While fans might want the team to overspend in the hopes of winning a championship at home, Walters hasn’t applied that strategy.
“I don’t know that we operate any differently. I think it was blown out of proportion last year with B.C., all the signings that they had and all the rumours coming out of there from a cap standpoint, but I don’t think that’s happened in the past. I think it’s a one-off,” he insisted, referencing the Lions’ admission of spending over the salary cap in 2024.
“I think you’re doing your team a disservice organizationally, where you have to answer to the players and coaches and say, ‘Well, this year, we’re really going to try hard to win the Grey Cup because it’s in Winnipeg.’ That’s just illogical from a spending standpoint because the reaction from everybody would be, ‘Well, why wouldn’t we do that every year?’ If we have the means to do it this year, we should do it every year.”
Having the means to spend more is only valuable if you also have the confidence to do so. At this stage, Walters isn’t comfortable enough to do that with the CFL’s increased salary cap and he isn’t alone.
