There was a time during the most frigid parts of last winter, before his contract negotiations with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers began to heat up, that Brady Oliveira seriously started picturing himself playing in another uniform.
A chilling thought for Bombers fans, and one the homegrown running back conceded would’ve felt weird.
“There was a time in that offseason where I didn’t think I was coming back,” said Oliveira, who inked a two-year deal in February that will keep him in Blue and Gold through next season.
Heywood Yu / THE CANADIAN PRESS files
Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (right) leads CFL in yards from scrimmage heading into the final weekend of the season.
“Obviously, everyone knows I wanted to be in Winnipeg… (but you) still need to feel wanted, right?” he said. “I thought maybe there was a time in that offseason stage where I was feeling a lot more love from other teams and not the team that I wanted to feel that love from. So, I’m just extremely happy when I was going through that stage in the offseason that we were able to get it done, and it was able to get it done with the right team, and that’s right here.”
Right here is where the bruising fifth-year rusher has churned out yet another award-worthy campaign.
On Wednesday, Oliveira was named the Bombers Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian Player for 2024, voted on by members of the local chapter of the Football Reporters of Canada and head coaches of the Canadian Football League.
It’s the second season in a row the 27-year-old is the club’s nominee for both awards. Last year, Oliveira was a league finalist in both categories, ultimately winning the CFL’s top Canadian honour but finishing as the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for MOP.
Oliveira returned to rush for 1,318 yards, so far — his third-straight 1,000-yard campaign — and is chasing a second consecutive league rushing title while leading the CFL in scrimmage yards with 1,783, including 465 receiving yards on a career-best 54 receptions.
With B.C. Lions’ running back William Stanback being the closest challenger with 1,175 ground yards, Oliveira looks like a shoo-in to win the rushing title with one game remaining in the regular season.
He will look to put a bow on another outstanding regular season when the Bombers play the Montreal Alouettes at Molson Stadium on Saturday (2 p.m. CT).
“It feels really good, obviously. I’m surrounded by an amazing group of men that I get to come in and work with every single day,” Oliveira said of being a nominee for two awards again. “I’m truly blessed to be where my feet are and to be in this position, and I don’t take it for granted.”
Oliveira was joined by cornerback Tyrell Ford (Most Outstanding Defensive Player), left tackle Stanley Bryant (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman), kicker Sergio Castillo (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player) and receiver Ontaria Wilson (Most Outstanding Rookie) as the club’s award nominees.
Ford re-joined Winnipeg after spending last season looking for NFL opportunities and turned in a stellar campaign in his first year as a starter, leading the team with seven interceptions, just one shy of the league lead. He’s added 47 defensive tackles, four more on special teams and has 10 pass knockdowns, tied for second-most in the CFL.
Castillo, nominated for the second time as a member of the Bombers, was recognized for connecting on 46 of his 57 field goal attempts (80.7 per cent) and leading the CFL with nine successful boots of at least 50 yards.
Meanwhile, Wilson has proven to be a pleasant surprise for the club in his rookie season after winning a job in training camp and being thrust into a starting role where he has been depended upon each week. The Florida State product leads Winnipeg with 943 receiving yards on 63 receptions and has found the end zone three times.
With 57 yards in the regular season finale, he will join Dalton Schoen (2022) and Chris Matthews (2012) as recent rookie receivers to reach the 1,000-yard plateau.
It’s the sixth time Bryant, one of the most decorated linemen in league history, has been named the best among Winnipeg’s starting five (also nominated from 2017-22). The seven-time all-star has gone on to win the league award four times in his career, and this one would be just as sweet.
“It’s always a great thing,” said Bryant, “but I couldn’t do it without the other offensive linemen. We strive to make each other better each and every week, work hard each and every week, and it’s a testament to how we come in as a group and try to prepare and just go out and play football.”
“It’s one of those things that you don’t really aim for, you just go out there and do your job and then let things run its course.”
The next round of voting for awards will determine the West and East Division winners, followed by the CFL’s Player Awards, announced during Grey Cup week in Vancouver.
X: @jfreysam
Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He’s reported primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports and writes a weekly real estate feature for the business section. Read more about Josh.
Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
