Winnipeg Blue Bombers add QB William ‘Pop’ Watson to negotiation list

Photo: Massachusetts Athletics

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have added American quarterback William ‘Pop’ Watson to their negotiation list. The move was reflect on the CFL’s official tracker on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old is a senior at the University of Massachusetts, where he has gone 4-0 as a starter to begin the 2026 season. He has completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 610 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. He has also rushed 26 times for 154 yards and four scores.

The six-foot, 210-pound passer spent his first three collegiate seasons at Virginia Tech, where he went 1-1 as a starter. He completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 558 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also rushed 54 times for 81 yards and two scores.

The native of Springfield, Mass. attended Springfield Central High School, where he won two Massachusetts Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Division I state championships.

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.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) will visit the Montreal Alouettes (11-3) on Saturday, October 3 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a tight loss to the Argonauts, while the Alouettes were on bye.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.