Three pivots, two jobs: Blue Bombers facing ‘monumental’ QB decision
It’s a decision that’ll test the loyalty of the head coach, the negotiating acumen of the general manager and set the course for the franchise’s next few years.
Who should be the starting quarterback for the Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers next season: trade-deadline acquisition and playoff hero Zach Collaros, or five-year Bomber Matt Nichols, coming off shoulder surgery?
Both are pending free agents, along with all-purpose backup Chris Streveler, leaving the Bombers as the only CFL team in that position going into the off-season.
GM Kyle Walters calls it a “monumental discussion.”
“I’ve talked to the agents and said, ‘This is a little unique situation,’” Walters said on Friday. “Who helps us win the best? How does it fit in the salary cap? There’s all sorts of things with the free agents to prioritize ... But obviously the quarterback position is where it all starts.”
It starts there on the field and off it.
Once Walters knows who his No. 1 quarterback is and how much he’s paying him, he can calculate the money going to the other quarterbacks, and so on down the financial line.
Streveler’s unique skills off the bench provide a whole other negotiating challenge, one with no comparables.
“Chris did some great things for us,” Walters said. “He’s a very unique individual in regards to setting a price point.
“This is a very big organizational decision heading into this off-season. And we need the input from the guys who are going to be coaching that position.”
In other words, the Bombers have to finalize who will replace the departed Paul Lapolice as offensive co-ordinator.
Everything points to it being quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce.
“As our leadership has shown, continuity is very important,” head coach Mike O’shea said.
The decision on the quarterbacks will test O’shea’s loyalty like it hasn’t been tested before.
A fierce defender of Nichols over the years, he’ll need to take a hard look at the soon-to-be-33-yearold with a 44-28 career record as a starter, compared to the 31-yearold Collaros, who went 4-0 since joining the Bombers in October.
“We’re going to take the time to go back over the season and take a look at it,” O’shea said. “All three QBS that are free agents for us have all played a large part in us winning football games. So in that regard you’d like to keep all three. There’s a lot of information we have to gather before we can make any of those decisions.”
Walters called it “highly unlikely” the Bombers could keep all three, given you can pay only one a starter’s salary.
If Walters re-signs Collaros, the deal with Toronto calls for him to give up a first-round draft choice next year.
“We would be OK if we went down that scenario,” Walters said. “Not like in year’s past, when we needed every first-round draft pick ... If the decision is made that Zach Collaros is the quarterback we want in this organization, then that wouldn’t factor into the decision.”