WINNIPEG — Taylor Elgersma doesn’t view coming to the CFL and signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this week as a consolation prize.
The Canadian quarterback from London, Ont., told reporters in a video call Friday that his attempts to play in the NFL and United Football League are behind him for now and “it was time to come home.”
“My focus is on being a Bomber right now and becoming the best version of myself and helping this team win,” Elgersma said during a stop in Arkansas on his way driving to Canada from Texas.
“This is where I am, and this is where I'm excited to be. I see a long future here, and this is where my mindset is. If doors reopen (down south) sometime down the line, I think that would be a situation that I would have to consider then. Right now, I just signed here, and I'm excited to be here.”
The Blue Bombers signed the 24-year-old Elgersma to a standard rookie contract (two years plus an option) Thursday, and he’ll report to rookie camp May 6.
Winnipeg selected the six-foot-five, 227-pound quarterback in the second round (18th overall) of the 2025 CFL draft after a standout career at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Elgersma was the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner as Canadian university football's top player after passing for 4,252 yards with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Golden Hawks. He was invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the annual U.S. college showcase event, becoming the first quarterback from a Canadian university to receive an invitation.
“Growing up, I always envisioned myself being a pro football player. Period,” he said. “And then after I got drafted (by the Bombers), I was ecstatic. And then the opportunities down south opened up.”
Elgersma signed with the Green Bay Packers last May as an undrafted free agent. He got into three exhibition games and completed 16-of-23 passes for 166 yards and a TD. He was released and later had NFL looks with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.
He joined the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL earlier this year, but could only practise and not play due to work visa issues
“The timing with us (Winnipeg) being two weeks out from training camp, it was time for me to make it clear that this is where I was going to be, this is where I wanted to be,” he said.
Some people predict Elgersma might be the heir to 37-year-old Bombers starter Zach Collaros, who’s in the final year of his contract.
“Any time you're in a building with someone of his calibre, it's important that you soak up every single thing that you can from him. All the information, all the tips that I can gain from him, I want to learn them,” he said of Collaros.
“I would also say there are a lot of other guys in this room and in this building that I have a lot of respect for.”
Bombers veteran backup Chris Streveler recently retired, and depth quarterback Chase Artopoeus also decided to leave the game. Terry Wilson dressed for 36 Bomber games over the past two seasons, but has only had 22 pass attempts.
Winnipeg also signed quarterback Bryce Perkins, last season’s UFL most valuable player and offensive player of the year with the Michigan Panthers, and Payton Thorne, who was in the Cincinnati Bengals’ camp last season.
Elgersma is well aware of other Canadian quarterbacks leaving their mark on the CFL, including Nathan Rourke of the B.C. Lions and Tre Ford, who signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in February after four seasons in Edmonton.
He said being a starting CFL quarterback would be a dream come true, especially representing athletes coming out of U Sports.
“Having a Canadian at the helm, I think it brings a lot of excitement to a fan base,” Elgersma said. “I think it brings a lot of excitement to the league, and I think it's a good thing for this league to have guys like that, and it's a good thing for Canadians to have guys to look up to.
“For me, that's one thing that's super exciting, is I hope one day there's young kids out there who choose to play football because there's Canadians at the quarterback position that are leading the way. There have been great guys that are doing it right now, and I hope to follow in their footsteps.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
