There has not yet been contract extension discussions between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and veteran quarterback Zach Collaros, according to general manager Kyle Walters.
Collaros signed a three-year contract extension in October 2022 which is currently scheduled to expire after the 2025 season. He’s earned $600,000 annually throughout the agreement, totalling $1.8 million.
That deal was signed prior to the end of the season and he went on to win his second straight Most Outstanding Player award. The 36-year-old has led the Bombers to five straight Grey Cups, winning two in 2019 and 2021.
“That’s generally the way we do… with the way we’ve been with the cap and the way things are, we generally don’t do too many extensions leading into the season,” Walters said. “We’ll deal with all that sort of stuff postseason, as normally we do.”
Winnipeg made Collaros the CFL’s highest-paid player in January 2022, signing him to a one-year contract extension worth $550,000. Two months after he won the Grey Cup in 2019 with the Bombers, the six-foot, 220-pound QB inked a two-year contract extension through the 2021 season.
Collaros had admitted he’s thought about retirement but he won’t put a deadline on his CFL playing career. The Steubenville, Ohio native started all 18 regular season games and two playoff games for Winnipeg in 2024. His 4,336 passing yards ranked second in the CFL to go along with a 70.1 completion percentage, 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.
“I can’t put words in Zach’s mouth in regards to how long he wants to keep playing. I know he loves football, loves to compete, and generally, guys like that just want to keep playing and playing until they’re told they can’t play anymore. I don’t want to put words in Zach’s mouth,” Walters said.
Collaros enters the season aiming to win a Grey Cup on home soil with the Blue Bombers as Winnipeg hosts the CFL’s championship game on Sunday, November 16. If Walters is to be believed, the quarterback’s future might not be determined until after the 2025 CFL season.
