WINNIPEG – Brady Oliveira wants to go south this winter, but not for vacation.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back revealed Tuesday that his agent is talking to NFL teams to get him private sessions. To achieve this, he highlights his client’s personal successes in the CFL.
” Play [à Winnipeg] is a dream, but the NFL – ever since I played football, [mon rêve] is to play at the highest level possible,” said Oliveira, during the team’s assessment after a still painful 28-24 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes during the Gray Cup game on Sunday.
But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be back in Manitoba if things don’t go his way.
“If it doesn’t work out in the NFL, I want to be here in Winnipeg,” Oliveira said.
Soon to be a free agent, the Winnipeg native was named the CFL’s Most Valuable Canadian Player and finished second for the team’s Most Valuable Player award in his second season as a starter.
The 26-year-old Oliveira led the Ambrosie Tour with 1,534 rushing yards – the second-highest total in history for a Canadian after Jon Cornish, who rushed for 1,813 yards with the Calgary Stampeders in 2013.
The five-foot-10, 222-pound player had nine rushing touchdowns and added 38 receptions for 482 yards and four touchdowns.
“My last two seasons were good, good enough to get what I deserve, right? “, said Oliveira.
“But we’ll see. You really never know, but I definitely want to be here if they keep the core,” he added.
Oliveira has 1,001 rushing yards with four touchdowns in 2022, along with 252 passing yards for a major.
Negotiations with players could be tricky for the Blue Bombers as general manager Kyle Walters’ contract expires.
Walter told reporters during Gray Cup week in Hamilton that he expects his contract situation to be resolved quickly after the season. He would like to stay with the Bombers, whom he joined in 2013 as interim general manager before being promoted the following year.
The Bombers (14-4) were trying to win their third Gray Cup in four seasons while trying to make amends for last year’s 24-23 final loss to the Toronto Argonauts. They lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2021.
Several players who participated in these four campaigns will be free agents, including 32-year-old defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat.
“I want to be back in Winnipeg. I like it here,” said Jeffcoat, who played six seasons with the Bombers.
“But we have to see how the negotiations are going to go and everything else. We need to hire a general manager here, so we need to get that sorted first. »
2023-11-22 00:07:12
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