The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed American defenseman Payton Thorne.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound passer spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Auburn University. He completed 62.0 percent of his passes for 4,468 yards, 37 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, rushed for 798 yards and five scores and went 10-12 as a starter.
The Naperville, Illinois native began his collegiate career at Michigan State University in 2019 and spent four years with the program, completing 60.9 percent of his passes for 6,493 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He went 16-10 as a starter and rushed for 270 yards and six scores.
Thorne signed with the Cincinnati Bengals after going unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. He completed four of seven passes for 41 yards in the preseason, but was released at the conclusion of training camp.
The 24-year-old recorded a 4.70-second forty-yard dash at his pro day, as well as a 4.25-second shuttle, a 7.20-second three-cone drill, a 31-inch vertical jump and a nine-foot-nine-inch broad jump.
Thorne is one of five quarterbacks the Blue Bombers are currently under contract through 2026, along with current starter Zach Collaros, current backups Terry Wilson and Chase Artopoeous, and fellow newcomer Bryce Perkins.
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.
