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News November 14, 2025

O’Shea/Walters staying put

Mike O'Shea will return as Blue Bombers head coach in 2026; photos by Cameron Bartlett

@EdTaitWFC

Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans now have the green light to exhale: both head coach Mike O’Shea and GM Kyle Walters are not going anywhere and will be back in 2026.

And with Blue Bombers President and CEO Wade Miller still overseeing the whole operation, the ‘Canadian Mafia’ remains in place for a franchise which has been transformed from a laughingstock to perennial Canadian Football League contender under their leadership.

The club first announced the O’Shea news via ‘X’ late Friday afternoon.

And followed that up with the Walters news about 50 minutes later.

The developments come just two days before the 112th Grey Cup game at Princess Auto Stadium between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes and rumours and speculation about O’Shea’s potential departure — both the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats had asked for and received permission to speak to him after the Blue Bombers were eliminated in the Eastern Semi-Final — had been the one storyline, especially locally, that might have stolen some of the championship game’s spotlight.

Ditto for Walters, although the Argos and Ticats interest in O’Shea had fuelled more conversation.

Now 55, O’Shea will be entering his 12th season with the Blue Bombers in 2026 and is already the winningest coach in franchise history with a career record of 117-77.

The CFL’s longest-serving head coach, O’Shea was hired by the club on December 4th, 2013 and after signing a three-year extension to remain with the club in 2022, was working on an expiring contract this season, prompting all the speculation.

The Blue Bombers have posted nine consecutive double-digit win seasons, including 10-8 this season, and had appeared in five straight Grey Cups from 2019-24, including championships in 2019 and 2021.

O’Shea is a two-time recipient of the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL’s top coach (2021 and 2022) O’Shea now ranks seventh in league history in career wins behind Wally Buono (282), Don Matthews (231), Frank Clair (147), Ron Lancaster (142), Eagle Keys (131) and Ray Jauch (127).

Walters, meanwhile, has been working lock-step with O’Shea since he became GM in November of 2013 and announced O’Shea as his first head coach.

Walters will also be entering his 16th year with the organization overall, having previously served as an assistant coach and as assistant general manager.

An adept talent evaluator, Walters has combined success at the Canadian Draft with shrewd trades and signings in free agency to turn the Bombers first into a contender and then into a champion. The 2021 championship earned him his third Grey Cup ring, after also winning as a player with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999.