Blue Bombers veteran Jake Thomas trades cleats for clipboard in new coaching role

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Jake Thomas (95) sacks Edmonton Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius (15) during first half CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday July 22, 2022. Thomas agreed to terms on a one-year extension with Winnipeg on Friday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

WINNIPEG — Willie Jefferson is giving Jake Thomas the stamp of approval in his new role as the Blue Bombers’ defensive line coach.

After all, the veteran rush end has already seen Thomas in coaching mode during their six seasons as teammates in Winnipeg, including the 2025 campaign.

“Jake is one of those X’s and O’s guys, like old school,” Jefferson said from Texas, where he was visiting family when the Bombers made the announcement Monday.

“Pretty much once a week during the season he shows tendencies of being a really good coach, wanting the young guys (in meetings) to get up on the board and draw the plays out. And not just what they have to do, but knowing what everybody on the defensive line has to do.”

The former teammates spoke after the veteran defensive tackle accepted the position. Jefferson doesn’t think the transition will be too difficult — once the novelty of calling Thomas coach wears off.

“For me, it’ll be awkward for a while, but I have a lot of respect for Jake and his preparation and his knowledge of the game,” said the 33-year-old Jefferson, who has been talking to the Bombers about a contract extension.

“I think this was a great move. I don’t think there’s no other guy who deserves it but Jake. He’s going to bring a lot to the table.”

Thomas played 13 CFL seasons before wrapping his playing career last month. He takes over defensive line duties from retiring coach Darrell Patterson.

Thomas was the longest-serving Blue Bomber, finishing a career that began in 2012 with 223 regular-season games, the fourth most in franchise history.

The 35-year-old product of Douglas, N.B., logged 196 tackles, 33 sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception, and helped Winnipeg to Grey Cup titles in 2019 and 2021.

Thomas said on a video call Tuesday that he was planning on still playing when the 2025 season ended, but that changed after a conversation with head coach Mike O’Shea.

“It’s one of those jobs where if you don’t take it now, it’s not going to be there forever,” said the father of two, whose wife told him to go for it.

O’Shea called Thomas intelligent and said he could one day be a general manager.

Thomas, who was also a real-estate agent until he accepted the coaching job, said he’s been his own player agent since 2018 and some of the Bombers call him “GM Jake.”

A graduate of Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Thomas holds a kids’ football camp every February in New Brunswick. He wants players from his home province and the East Coast to know they can reach the pros too.

“I hope that they look at it as inspiration in the sense that, yes, just because you’re from a small town in New Brunswick you can have a long career in the CFL,” he said.

Thomas knows transitioning from teammate to coach may be awkward at first, especially with veterans like Jefferson.

“I’m sure if there’s anything that I say that he doesn’t like, he’ll treat it with respect and we’ll talk about it afterwards,” Thomas said. “But that’s the part of the job, right? I’m not going to be there to not say the things that I think are important.”

The club also announced Monday that longtime CFL offensive coordinator Tommy Condell is taking over the position with the Bombers. He’s replacing Jason Hogan, who is returning to coach the running backs he oversaw from 2022-24.

O’Shea said he was looking for more experience in a new offensive coordinator. He added that he probably promoted Hogan too soon and didn’t support him enough.

The Bombers finished 10-8 last season, crossed over to the East Division and lost the semifinal to the Montreal Alouettes, missing out on a sixth consecutive trip to the Grey Cup.

Their offence ranked seventh in the league in points scored and committed the second-highest turnovers (45).

Condell has been a CFL assistant coach for five different teams over 15 seasons, including 10 as an offensive coordinator. He was Winnipeg’s special teams coordinator in 1997, and spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks.

Condell was with Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros in Hamilton in 2014-15 when Collaros was starting to make a name for himself.

The quarterback’s talent hasn’t diminished, Condell said, but the team needs to find ways to protect the ball better. Condell also plans to “marry” the passing and run game.

Winnipeg’s star running back Brady Oliveira recently signed a three-year contract extension.

“I understand the expectations and goals of Winnipeg and those kinds of things, but I can only promise (fans) I’m going to work day to day in a diligent manner to be able to work hard and understand and respect those types of goals,” Condell said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2025.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press