Winnipeg Blue Bombers acquire CFL rights to QB Ty Pennington from Ottawa

Photo: Northern Arizona Athletics

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have acquired the rights to American quarterback Ty Pennington from the Ottawa Redblacks in exchange for American linebacker Kyahva Tezino, the teams announced on Wednesday.

Pennington is currently a senior at Northern Arizona University, an NCAA FCS program located in Flagstaff, Ariz. He completed 15-of-27 pass attempts for 164 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the team’s season-opening loss to Eastern Washington last week.

The six-foot-two, 220-pound passer has completed 65.0 percent of his passes for 5,568 yards, 34 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over 25 collegiate games at Northern Arizona. He has also rushed for 691 yards and nine scores.

Pennington was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2024 and an All-Big Sky honourable mention in 2025.

The native of Sand Springs, Okla. spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Pittsburg State, an NCAA Division II program located in Pittsburg, Kan. He completed 67.0 percent of his passes for 447 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception, and rushed for 359 yards and four scores.

Pennington will now be moved to Winnipeg’s negotiation list.

CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and do not have CFL veteran status. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.

Being added to a negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and some are unaware that their rights have even been claimed. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.

Tezino joined Winnipeg’s practice roster in August. The native of Los Angeles, Calif. was named All-UFL with the Birmingham Stallions earlier this year. He recorded 68.0 tackles, three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one pass knockdown over 10 games.

The six-foot, 224-pound defender was named All-USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers in 2023 and won a UFL championship with the Stallions in 2024.

The 29-year-old signed with the New England Patriots after going unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft. He had subsequent stints with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Pittsburgh Steelers but never dressed for a regular-season NFL game.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-5) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-4) at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, September 6 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Blue Bombers got a one-sided upset victory over the Montreal Alouettes, while the Roughriders got a come-from-behind win over the Toronto Argonauts to snap a two-game losing skid.

The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 24 degrees and a 60 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the U.S., and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.