Brady Oliveira's three-year contract extension with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is worth around a staggering $900,000, but he believes he could make even more money if he decides to hit free agency in February.
“I think I probably would have left some money on the table. I think other teams would have offered me more – I don't know how much more, but I definitely think teams would have offered me more for sure,” Oliveira said. 3DownNation.
“If I wanted to chase money, I would go to free agency and tell my agent, 'Hey, go find me the biggest contract you can get.' It probably wouldn't have been in Winnipeg and I would have gone somewhere else and played for money. For me, it wasn't about the money, it was about leaving the legacy here in Winnipeg that I've spent the last few years building with the incredible team around me.”
“Obviously you want to get the right compensation and I think I absolutely deserved what I got, but it wasn't just about the money. It was all the other things – for me to play for my hometown and leave a legacy here as a Bomber and hopefully play my whole career as a Bomber.”
The five-foot-ten, 229-pound ballplayer's new contract, reportedly worth $290,000 in 2026 and $300,000 in 2027 and 2028, has come as a major shock to some fans and pundits. Few non-quarterbacks make that much money in the CFL, and there are no other running backs who even come close to that number.
Oliveira left money on the table two years ago when received offers of $260,000 and $275,000 annually from the BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.respectively. These offers were made when the CFL salary cap was $5.525 million. With the league's salary cap now set at $6.06 million, Oliveira's new contract represents an increase of about 20 percent over the cap, which increased nearly 10 percent.
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It should also be noted that at the recent Gray Cup in Winnipeg, the CFL Players Association indicated that the salary cap could still increase in 2026 based on a review of the league's financials, which is expected to be completed sometime next month.
It has become generally accepted in football circles that running backs do not deserve high salaries because the position is easier to fill than most other players. Oliveira is aware of this opinion, although he does not seem to accept it as fact.
“I think you should pay players based on performance. Like, am I getting paid a lot more as a running back than the next guy? Yeah, but has anyone else in this league been more productive than me, year after year? I'll let you answer that question. I'd say no one else has,” the 28-year-old said.
“I think the deal I made with Winnipeg, they showed a lot of respect from the very beginning with the first offer they made to me, and then the negotiations went very smoothly. I think they offered me that deal because of production, not because of position. I've been productive week in and week out in this organization.”
Of course, you can’t argue with Oliveira’s production. Since Winnipeg native Man became the team's starting lineup in 2022. recorded 6,807 yards from scrimmage. CFL statistician Jeff Krever had this to say. 3DownNation Thursday's total was the eighth-best of any player in league history over a four-year period, behind only Mike Pringle, Charles Roberts, Andrew Harris, Geoffrey Reynolds, Johnny Bright and Kelvin Anderson.
In 2024, Oliveira became the fifth Canadian player ever to receive the Most Outstanding Player award. In 2025, he set a new career high in receptions and led the league in yards per carry (minimum 50 attempts), despite missing three games with a shoulder injury. He is also a two-time rushing champion, a two-time All-CFL player and a two-time Most Outstanding Canadian.
It also seems fair to question the widely held belief that running backs don't have much value. Both teams that met in the Gray Cup started with rookie offenses, a position generally considered to be best filled by expensive veterans. Saskatchewan had the second-highest paid running back in the league and the Alouettes had the second-highest paid linebacker in the league – both positions that typically pay less.
Regardless of whether critics believe Oliveira is overpaid, one thing seems clear: If he were to become a free agent, he could likely make even more money.
