DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: Zach Collaros has been underpaid by Blue Bombers

Last week I was talking with my dad about the upcoming CFL season and the talk inevitably turned to the Blue Bombers quarterback situation. With 37-year-old Zach Collaros in the final year of his contract worth a reported $550,000, the conversation inevitably turned to the back-up position.

It has been a facinating battle this camp for the Bombers, with highly touted Canadian Taylor Elgersma, who had a stint with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers battling normal back-up Terry Wilson and former Los Angelas Rams pivot and United Football League 2025 most valuable player Bryce Perkins. Wilson, seemingly recognizing he was the low man on the roster, appeared to leave the team before the start of their pre-season game last weekend.

The future of Winnipeg’s quarterback position is exciting, if a complete unknown, but Collaros still deserves mention. The pivot who led the Bombers to back-to-back Grey Cup championship wins seemed to have lost a step last season, putting up just 3,000 yards while leading the league in interceptions and posting a 6-7 record.

After a mediocre season, some may question if Collaros is still deserving of being the highest paid quarterback in the CFL. But those stats miss the bigger picture thanks to a 2025 stat which was released this April.

Boosted by hosting the Grey Cup and sell-outs in every game, the Winnipeg Football Club posted a record high operating profit of $12.1 million. Bombers’ writer Ed Tait noted in his article on the team’s website promoting those numbers the team has grown their revenue every year since the $7 million loss due to the cancelled 2020 season. The team’s last full season without Collaros at the helm, they reported just a $2.6 million profit.

While the salary cap restricts teams from really opening up their coffers for players, in an open market Collaros would demand an even higher wage than the $550,000 he is paid.

Even without the hefty revenues related to the Grey Cup festival, no doubt partially boosted by the team’s recent success on the field (they made five consecutive Grey Cups between 2019 and 2015, with Collaros starting in each final and were first in the West division standings for four straight years) they would have made $6 million.

Across the seasons between 2021 and 2025 the Bombers have made a combined $31.8 million. Those seasons were built in part by by incredible on-field results, a great game day experience and key signings of local players.

Collaros has been spectacular for Winnipeg, bosting a combined record of 38-15 as the quarterback of record between 2021 and 2024. Would the team have sold out all their games last season if Collaros was even 28-25? I doubt it. That makes a contract of $500,000-$600,000 look like a complete bargin for Winnipeg.

In fact, it seems like Collaros has been one of the most underpaid players in the league. Father time will eventually catch up to him, like it does to all athletes, but he has left an undeniable mark on the franchise’s pocketbooks.