WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have secured one more year of one of their best players in franchise history.
The Blue Bombers announced on Sunday the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with veteran All-CFL defensive end, Willie Jefferson, who was scheduled to become a free agent in February. Jefferson was ranked No. 8 on CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agents list.
RELATED
» CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agents
» More 2025 Free Agency news and notes
» Free Agency Most Wanted: A Canadian, big-play receiver
» Free Agency Most Wanted: A game-changing defender
» Bombers extend defensive back Jamal Parker Jr.
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
Jefferson (six-foot-seven, 248 pounds; Stephen F. Austin State; born: January 31, 1991, in Beaumont, TX.) returns in 2025 for his 11th season in the Canadian Football League and sixth with the Blue Bombers including his days with Edmonton (2014-15) and Saskatchewan (2016-18).
Jefferson was named to the All-CFL team for a sixth time in 2024 after leading the club in quarterback sacks with six – the fourth time in five seasons he has led the team – while adding 25 defensive tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and adding 10 pass knockdowns. He then followed that up in the 111th Grey Cup loss to Toronto with six tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, forced fumble and interception in one of the best games of his career.
A respected and vocal leader in the locker room, Jefferson has played in 155 CFL games, including 80 with the Blue Bombers, and has three Grey Cup rings (Edmonton, 2015; Winnipeg 2019, 2021).
A Winnipeg resident, he is also one of the team’s most visible players in the community and has been the recipient of both the Ed Kotowich ‘Good Guy Award’ (2022) and the Cal Murphy ‘Heart of a Legend’ Award (2023).