by Scouting Director
Reporting on player or coaching stories, or narrating the conversation surrounding whether someone should be fired, hired or employed, has never been, and will never be, my specialty. Quite frankly, it isn’t something I have much desire to make my career about. But every once in a while, a story comes along involving someone you have met, someone you have watched for years and someone who has left such an imprint on the game that it becomes impossible not to care about what comes next.
Zach Collaros is one of those people.
After an extraordinary career that includes three Grey Cup championships (’12, ’19 and ’21), a Grey Cup MVP award (’21) and two CFL Most Outstanding Player awards (’21 and ’22), multiple sources tell 3DownFutures that Zach Collaros is set to retire following the 2026 season.
I have met Zach, and I have nothing but respect for him as a person. In fact, I may have even more respect for him as a person than I do as a football player. After a long career, I can say this: Collaros has become one of my personal favourite players to watch.
When he is healthy and playing his best football, there may be nobody more entertaining to watch throw a football than Zach Collaros.
Who could forget his first start as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber on October 25, 2019? Winnipeg hosted the Calgary Stampeders, and Collaros, acquired by Winnipeg two weeks earlier, was suddenly under centre for a team that desperately needed a spark. Then came the play that immediately became part of Blue Bomber folklore.
Collaros escaped the pressure, scrambled and delivered an incredible touchdown pass to Darvin Adams. It was the beginning of something nobody could have predicted at the time. Watch fan video of play here
Later that same season, Collaros would help lead Winnipeg through a memorable championship run, ending a 29-year Grey Cup drought and forever changing his place in Blue Bombers history. That 2019 championship wasn’t simply another Grey Cup; it became the beginning of the Zach Collaros era in Winnipeg.
Collaros’ professional football journey began with the Toronto Argonauts. After entering the CFL, he would move to Hamilton, where he developed into one of the league’s most exciting young quarterbacks. His time with the Tiger-Cats established him as a legitimate CFL starter and eventually helped put him on the radar of teams across the league.
Then came Saskatchewan. Collaros joined the Roughriders and continued to demonstrate the combination of toughness, mobility, arm talent and improvisational ability that had become trademarks of his game.
His CFL journey would eventually bring him back to Toronto before the chapter that changed everything: another chance to play for the Blue Bombers.
Yes, we cannot forget going all the way back to 2014, when the Blue Bombers failed to acquire Zach Collaros, as the eventual future Hall of Fame quarterback chose the Tiger-Cats over Winnipeg, forcing the Bombers to look elsewhere for their franchise quarterback. It wasn’t until the Blue Bombers made a hail mary attempt to acquire Collaros during the 2019 season that the organization finally got their man, and what followed became one of the most remarkable quarterback stories in recent CFL history. He went from a quarterback looking for another opportunity to the face of a championship franchise.
Collaros would go on to win multiple Grey Cups with Winnipeg and establish himself as one of the defining players of the modern Blue Bombers era. His career accomplishments have already secured his place among the great quarterbacks of his generation.
But statistics and championships only tell part of the story.
There was something different about watching Collaros play. It was the confidence, the charisma, the willingness to stand in the pocket and take a hit to make a throw, and the ability to make something happen when the original play had broken down. Perhaps most importantly, it was the connection he developed with Winnipeg.
Collaros will go down as one of the great Winnipeg sports stars. When his career finally ends, I expect his reception in Winnipeg to be reserved for the city’s most beloved sports figures — the kind of reception normally associated with names like Milt Stegall, Teemu Selanne, and in an earlier generation, Dale Hawerchuk.
And now, it appears that ending may be closer than many hope.
Collaros is currently on Winnipeg’s six-game injured list, and if I don’t break this story this week, most likely someone from TSN will break it for the nation next week.
To be clear, this is not official. Nobody can say for certain that Zach Collaros is retiring except Zach Collaros himself. But multiple sources have informed me that Collaros is all but done and is preparing to retire following the 2026 season.
According to the information provided to me, Collaros is working hard to get healthy and make one more push for a Grey Cup run this fall. Then, the plan would be to announce his retirement.
One source described it this way:
“Zach is going to retire after this season because of a family promise. He had a dream run in Winnipeg. He is excited for his next chapter. And wants to be healthy in doing so.”
That next chapter, however, may not take him very far from football. In fact, Collaros’ next career could begin almost immediately.
Same sources have also indicated that Collaros is already drawing interest from the television side of the football business. I have been told that he is on DAZN’s short list for a potential broadcasting role.
But TSN, I’m told, isn’t expected to let him go quietly. Zach joined TSN as a guest broadcast analyst for last year’s Grey Cup coverage, working as a studio desk analyst alongside host James Duthie, Bo Levi Mitchell and Luke Willson. He made daily appearances on SportsCentre, followed by contributions to Grey Cup Saturday and extensive Grey Cup Sunday coverage.
According to what I’ve been told, TSN could have several possibilities in mind for Collaros, including a panel position, his own football program covering both the CFL and NFL, and, because they are so high on his potential, eventually a role as the colour commentator on TSN’s No. 1 broadcast team.
But before any broadcasting career begins, there is still football to be played. There is still a Grey Cup to chase, and there is still one more Canadian fall that Zach Collaros appears determined to experience as a player.
However, whether Zach decides to return in ’27 or, in fact, retire, the end of one of the most memorable CFL quarterback careers of this generation is approaching, and we need to embrace this as must-watch television.
Zach Collaros came to Winnipeg in 2019 looking for another opportunity. He leaves — whenever that day ultimately comes — as a champion, a leader, a fan favourite and one of the most important quarterbacks in Blue Bombers history.
But first, we can watch his one final drive.