The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are still patiently awaiting the potential arrival of Canadian defenseman Taylor Elgersma, who could very well be the future of the franchise.
The team drafted the six-foot-five, 232-pound passer. second round of the 2025 CFL draftalthough he likely would have been promoted higher had he not been the subject of a legitimate NFL interest. He eventually signed with the Green Bay Packers and performed well. three preseason gamescompleting 16 of 23 pass attempts for 166 yards, one touchdownand no interceptions.
Despite his strong performance, he is a native of London, Ontario. surpassed third-string veteran Sean Clifford on the depth chart – Elgersma was canceled at the end of training camp and has remained a free agent ever since. While the Blue Bombers would like to sign the young quarterback this year, general manager Kyle Walters expects it will be at least several more months before he considers signing his first CFL contract.
“I think (Elgersma and his agent) are waiting, like a lot of young players, to get a taste of this NFL. I think he'll probably be hoping for the rest of the year that somebody will bring them to practice or sign them or something like that, so we're still optimistic from an organizational standpoint (he'll sign with Winnipeg if the NFL doesn't work out),” Walters told the media Wednesday.
“I don't think the situation will be resolved until February 1st when all these future contracts are signed. I think that's their main goal – to hold out and try to get another chance in the NFL, and we'll wait and see what happens.”
Elgersma's camp echoed Walters' sentiments when contacted 3DownNationconfirming the quarterback still plans to play up north if his NFL ambitions don't pan out.
“My client is currently focused on an NFL career, although we would be happy to sign with the Blue Bombers if and when all NFL opportunities end,” said Fred Weinrauch, who represents Elgersma. “I spoke with Kyle during the Gray Cup and provided him with an update on Taylor. We are always in touch and have a great working relationship.”
Elgersma had a stellar collegiate career at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 10,547 yards, 78 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. His list of accolades stretches half a mile long, including U Sports Athlete of the Year, Yates Cup Most Valuable Player, Uteck Bowl Offensive Player of the Year, two OUA All-Star selections, two All-Canadian selections, two OUA Most Valuable Players and the Heck Crichton Trophy.
The quarterback position has come under scrutiny in Winnipeg, where Zach Collaros has thrown 34 touchdown passes and 31 interceptions over the last two years. Chris Streveler likely won't return to the team after suffering a second ACL tear in as many years.while Terry Wilson had a relatively ineffective performance against Montreal to end the regular season.
While the future is never guaranteed, Walters appears to believe Elgersma is the type of prospect who could very well become a franchise quarterback at the professional level. One thing that could work in his favor is that he's already played a lot of three-down football, which could help him adapt to the CFL more easily.
“I saw him at Packers camp this year and he can throw the ball,” Walters said. “We have expectations that he can be a really good player in this league, but you have to temper them until he gets into training camp and starts playing against that level of players on a Canadian field.”
“You see a lot of players with physical ability (coming from the United States), but he comes here with a whole pedigree of Canadian soccer that's a little different. He runs well, he's big, he's athletic, he can handle the ball. He's got it all, he needs to come here, get reps and play against this level of competition.”
Elgersma turns 24 in March. He's still relatively new to the game – he only started playing in high school – but his ceiling remains high.
“(Young quarterbacks) want to come in and play and compete right away, but I think they realize they have a pretty steep learning curve, but you never know until you see it,” Walters said. “You have to bring him here and watch him process, watch him pick up a textbook and move on.”
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 10–8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as a crossover team before losing in the East semi-finals to the Montreal Alouettes. Zach Collaros threw for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 13 regular-season games while going 6-7 as a starter.
The Blue Bombers ranked fifth in net offense, third in net defense and eighth with a minus-eleven turnover margin. The club's leading rusher was Brady Oliveira with 1,163 yards, the leading receiver was Nick Demski with 1,001 yards, and the leading tackler was Tony Jones with 104 tackles. Winnipeg ranked first in attendance with an average attendance of 32,343, up 3.7 per cent from the previous year.
