As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2026.

It turns out what Zach Collaros had to say in early November was all we needed to know about this season in Winnipeg.

“I don’t think it’s the end of an era,” Collaros said on locker clean-out day a few days after the Blue Bombers fell 42-33 to Montreal in last year’s Eastern Semi-Final. It was the earliest finish to a season in Winnipeg since 2017 and the earliest since Collaros arrived a couple seasons later.

“I don’t even know how to categorize it,” he admitted. “If you’re grouping things together, when you make it to five straight Grey Cups and then you don’t, I guess it’s kind of a cutoff there. But I think we still have the pieces in place.”

RELATED » 5 Things to Know for 2026: Saskatchewan Roughriders » 5 Things to Know for 2026: Montreal Alouettes » 5 Things to Know for 2026: BC Lions » Key 2026 off-season dates you need to know » Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel » Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates

Indeed, the Blue Bombers finished 10-8 in 2025 and failed to reach the Grey Cup for the first time in six seasons. And while discussions were held on the outside about the merits of rebuilding or changing course, those conversations didn’t gain much traction in the Manitoba........

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