Blue Bombers sign Redha Kramdi to two-year contract extension
WINNIPEG, MB., December 16, 2025 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a two-year extension with veteran Canadian defensive back Redha Kramdi.
He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.
Kramdi (5-10, 189; Université de Montréal; born: December 22, 1996, in Montreal, Que.) returns in 2026 for his sixth year with the Blue Bombers and following a stellar 2025 campaign in which he finished with 47 defensive tackles, two more on special teams, a forced fumble and his first career interception against Saskatchewan in the Banjo Bowl.
He also tied a career high with eight tackles in a win over Hamilton in September, equalling a total he first set against Toronto in late July of 2024.
A versatile defender who started at both the dime spot and at safety, Kramdi started 16 games in 2025 and the Eastern Semi-Final and has now played in 72 games as a Blue Bomber while emerging as a defensive and team leader.
He was selected in the second round, 16th overall, in the 2021 CFL Draft after a solid college career with the Carabins, including his selected to the RSEQ All-Star Team in 2018 for his work on special teams.
Good news.
More good news as we re-sign our top Canadian players. Also liking the fact that these all have been more than 1 year deals so far.
Now get Demski on another 2 - 3 year deal.
Never any doubt. He's a MOS fave. Anyone have any $ numbers?
And once again, a 2 or 3 year contract. My KW theory looks more solid every signing announcement. Keep 'em coming! I want every "important" player locked in 2 & 3 years.
Great player, he makes plays everywhere on the field. I was surprised to see him back helping Holm, way downfield.
Doesn't seem to get caught out of position, not afraid to make tough tackles even though he's not big. Zero quit.
I really like watching him play.
Now Holm please.
In Brady's presser he talks up Kramdi as the brains and voice of the D. He said he & Kramdi were close and talked a lot.
To me Kramdi is like a Sam Hurl that can actually play and is athletic. Hurl was always touted as the QB of the D, but he simply was useless at actually playing. With Kramdi we have a Hurl that is actually pretty darn good.
Not the best SAM out there, but certainly the best when you factor in passport and cost-reasonableness.
Quote from: Tecno on December 16, 2025, 06:11:30 PMNever any doubt. He's a MOS fave. Anyone have any $ numbers?
And once again, a 2 or 3 year contract. My KW theory looks more solid every signing announcement. Keep 'em coming! I want every "important" player locked in 2 & 3 years.
I thought about this a little, it makes no sense to me that Walters wouldn't always be trying to sign guys to longer deals. It makes his life easier in every way. So I don't believe he's operating any differently.
But it does make sense that players/agents didn't want to sign for longer than 1 year when that's all the coach and GM were signed on for.
Quote from: Jesse on December 16, 2025, 07:15:12 PMI thought about this a little, it makes no sense to me that Walters wouldn't always be trying to sign guys to longer deals. It makes his life easier in every way. So I don't believe he's operating any differently.
But it does make sense that players/agents didn't want to sign for longer than 1 year when that's all the coach and GM were signed on for.
putting on technos hat for conspiracies maybe it was for Job security..see how many players I signed every year? Who they gonna get to sign all these guys
Quote from: Pete on December 16, 2025, 07:20:30 PMputting on technos hat for conspiracies maybe it was for Job security..see how many players I signed every year? Who they gonna get to sign all these guys
If you want to do conspiracy theory, you'd have to believe Walters intentionally put the team in a bad spot to put pressure on Wade to keep the status quo in order to deal with all these contracts.
But you'd also have to believe that Wade and/or Walters had any belief that Walters wouldn't be back. Even when MOS went through his little data collection in Toronto, Walters says he and Wade were discussing HC candidates together. Walters always knew he was staying, so why would he ever make his job more difficult?
Quote from: Jesse on December 16, 2025, 07:15:12 PMI thought about this a little, it makes no sense to me that Walters wouldn't always be trying to sign guys to longer deals. It makes his life easier in every way. So I don't believe he's operating any differently.
And yet, so far, it appears we are doing way more 3's and 2's than last FA. No need to speculate, though: let's just wait until most of FA is done and then just count how many 2 & 3 year deals in FA26 vs FA25. It will either be true, or not. After that, we can figure out the "why".
Quote from: Pete on December 16, 2025, 07:20:30 PMputting on technos hat for conspiracies maybe it was for Job security..see how many players I signed every year? Who they gonna get to sign all these guys
Maybe the players are getting tired of the hassle of contract negotiations every year as well, jumping around from team to team rarely worked out well for teams or players. The CFLPA needs to work towards making the league stronger.
Quote from: Jesse on December 16, 2025, 07:49:07 PMIf you want to do conspiracy theory, you'd have to believe Walters intentionally put the team in a bad spot to put pressure on Wade to keep the status quo in order to deal with all these contracts.
But you'd also have to believe that Wade and/or Walters had any belief that Walters wouldn't be back.
It doesn't have to have a negative connotation. It could even be a subconscious thing.
Or it could be a comfort thing. If I'm not sure I'm here next year, and I'm on the final year of the contract, I may be perfectly comfortable signing more people to 1-years. If I'm just starting my new 3 year term, I may feel more comfortable aligning my top players with my term.
It could also be natural that if you're not sure you're coming back as a GM, you may want the guys you desire most to be available for you to snipe with your
next team. Even if your chance of changing teams is only 10%, wouldn't you want at least the option to bring over your best players should the worst occur?
It could also be KW has created a new long-term 3-year plan/vision to get to more cups and he wants to lock in the core pieces now; whereas last year he was at the end of the previous 3-year plan.
He could also have inside knowledge the cap will go up a lot every year, meaning locking in players at a set price now is advantageous.
There's a myriad of reasons. I could probably think of even more. Almost none are nefarious.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on December 16, 2025, 08:03:49 PMMaybe the players are getting tired of the hassle of contract negotiations every year as well
But most players have agents -- that's what they pay them a huge cut for. I guess there's still some stress on the players in either case. I'm pretty sure the agent is taking his normal cut even in non-new-contract years!
The theory can easily be tested by seeing a) if Mafia is really signing for longer, and b) if it's just Mafia or if other teams are doing this. If it's just us, then it has nothing to do with player preference.
You're seeing two and three year deals now primarily because these are cash rich contracts which you need if you don't want to get close to free agency. When the dollars are announced on Kramdi I'm sure we paid the very top dollar on this contract just like we did with Oliveira.
I'll wait for the dollars to be reported but I don't in either case think the player has a hope in out playing their deal. Best we can hope for is they have all star seasons and stay healthy, which will represent a fair return.
If we are going to be really good we're going to need to find value somewhere because Collaros, Oliveria and I doubt Kramdi, are.
A key cog on our defense and a top player
Some were very hard on him as he developed
Props to those that showed him love from the start
His rise has been quick and likely will see continued improvement
One of my favorite players, while he struggled at times in his early years you could see that potential
Patience paid off
Quote from: Tecno on December 16, 2025, 08:01:32 PMAnd yet, so far, it appears we are doing way more 3's and 2's than last FA
I think it's the extra cap money. Walters says I can offer you more but I need a multi-year in return. Nothing more sinister than that.
Getting key NATs under extended contract is the cornerstone of FA.
Kramdi is a leader and a thumper, and embodies the MOS style of play.
So happy he's back.
Quote from: Tecno on December 16, 2025, 08:01:32 PMAnd yet, so far, it appears we are doing way more 3's and 2's than last FA. No need to speculate, though: let's just wait until most of FA is done and then just count how many 2 & 3 year deals in FA26 vs FA25. It will either be true, or not. After that, we can figure out the "why".
I'll put my tinfoil hat on, and point out that they negotiate a new broadcasting deal in 2026. Maybe Walters knows or is betting that with the increased $, the cap will go up, and is locking down longer contracts now, which may look like relative bargains under the new cap.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on December 16, 2025, 11:22:11 PMWhen the dollars are announced on Kramdi I'm sure we paid the very top dollar on this contract just like we did with Oliveira.
Define "top dollar". I doubt we paid Kramdi more than T.Jones or Kyrie or Holm. Kramdi is still not Pickett, talent-wise. His only salary ammo is his passport. I bet Kramdi got a nice 10-15% bump over his last contract. But he's not getting $200k+ like the superNATs get.
Quote from: bunker on December 17, 2025, 04:52:39 PMI'll put my tinfoil hat on, and point out that they negotiate a new broadcasting deal in 2026. Maybe Walters knows or is betting that with the increased $, the cap will go up, and is locking down longer contracts now, which may look like relative bargains under the new cap.
Agreed. That's part of it. From all appearances it seems the cap is going to go up every year, and by more than any CBA mandated minimum.
HAM was the first to front-load all of these cap increases when they overpaid Kenny last season. By FA27 we'll look at Kenny's last deal and think it was cheap.
Quote from: Tecno on December 17, 2025, 06:05:22 PMDefine "top dollar". I doubt we paid Kramdi more than T.Jones or Kyrie or Holm. Kramdi is still not Pickett, talent-wise. His only salary ammo is his passport. I bet Kramdi got a nice 10-15% bump over his last contract. But he's not getting $200k+ like the superNATs get.
Last year there was Ford making 230k+ and everyone else on the top 15 list was making between 135 - 160, with most around 145k.=, which is what Kramdi made.
The top end American money for DBs this year seems to be at 175k for the moment. I'd imagine all of Kramdi, Holms, and Nichols are going to be wanting around that mark (or even trying to beat it). Can we do it for all of them?
Quote from: Jesse on December 17, 2025, 06:36:52 PMLast year there was Ford making 230k+ and everyone else on the top 15 list was making between 135 - 160, with most around 145k.=, which is what Kramdi made.
The top end American money for DBs this year seems to be at 175k for the moment. I'd imagine all of Kramdi, Holms, and Nichols are going to be wanting around that mark (or even trying to beat it). Can we do it for all of them?
Ya, but as you know, Kramdi isn't Ford. Not even in the same ballpark. 15% raise would put him around $165 which seems reasonable compared to Holm/Nichols once you factor in the passport bump -- and the fact he seems to be the brains of the operation now.
I'm pretty sure everyone not named Holm will have to be realistic about what we can pay them. None are superstars (Nichols has fallen off a bit), and many are aging. And we almost always find 1 good ELC in TC. The older guys will have to take discounts (or simply no raises) to stay.
Quote from: Tecno on December 17, 2025, 07:10:55 PMYa, but as you know, Kramdi isn't Ford. Not even in the same ballpark. 15% raise would put him around $165 which seems reasonable compared to Holm/Nichols once you factor in the passport bump -- and the fact he seems to be the brains of the operation now.
I'm pretty sure everyone not named Holm will have to be realistic about what we can pay them. None are superstars (Nichols has fallen off a bit), and many are aging. And we almost always find 1 good ELC in TC. The older guys will have to take discounts (or simply no raises) to stay.
Nichols might have to be satisfied with what they're already paying him, Kramdi and Holm probably received $10-20k bumps.
Kramdi is a good keep by the club. We might let one of Holm and Nichols go due to cost.
2026 - 180K
2027 - 185K
Hard money.
Portion of 2027 is guaranteed.
All per 3 down nation
Quote from: peg_city on December 22, 2025, 04:24:47 PM2026 - 180K
2027 - 185K
Hard money.
Portion of 2027 is guaranteed.
All per 3 down nation
A bit more than I thought. IIRC he was at $145K in 2025. With just a small bump in 2027 on a 2 year deal, maybe not so bad a deal.
Quote from: peg_city on December 22, 2025, 04:24:47 PM2026 - 180K
2027 - 185K
Hard money.
Portion of 2027 is guaranteed.
All per 3 down nation
Kramdi? Wow, seems like an over pay, who would steal him away if they only offered to pay him $140k?
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on December 22, 2025, 04:45:31 PMKramdi? Wow, seems like an over pay, who would steal him away if they only offered to pay him $140k?
It is more than Pickett, Campbell and Dequoy got in 2025. They are all potential free agents IIRC and could be getting big raises too. This SMS would have made him # 2 top paid in 2025.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on December 22, 2025, 04:45:31 PMKramdi? Wow, seems like an over pay, who would steal him away if they only offered to pay him $140k?
With the cap having risen, and with his play and his leadership, I think this is a fair number, not sure how much signing bonus is included using 2025 SMS, but I'd guess there is some.
Would someone steal him away at $160 if we offered $140? I think that's a given. "Ratio breakers" get a premium. And he's a little better than just a ratio breaker. He's playing his spot in spite of his passport.
Quote from: theaardvark on December 22, 2025, 05:17:37 PMWith the cap having risen, and with his play and his leadership, I think this is a fair number, not sure how much signing bonus is included using 2025 SMS, but I'd guess there is some.
Would someone steal him away at $160 if we offered $140? I think that's a given. "Ratio breakers" get a premium. And he's a little better than just a ratio breaker. He's playing his spot in spite of his passport.
We'll never know for sure. Yes he's a ratio breaker but most teams have excellent SAM's and don't need to change the ratio at that position.
Yes the SMS increased but that's nearly $100K spent on just Oliveria and Kramdi. Demski and Lawson got more as well.
Regardless I'm glad we're re-signing our top Canadian starters before free agency tampering window.
The big question is how much was 2025 SMS or 2026 marketing money and the end 2026 SMS hit.
Quote from: Blue In BC on December 22, 2025, 05:22:56 PMWe'll never know for sure. Yes he's a ratio breaker but most teams have excellent SAM's and don't need to change the ratio at that position.
Yes the SMS increased but that's nearly $100K spent on just Oliveria and Kramdi. Demski and Lawson got more as well.
Regardless I'm glad we're re-signing our top Canadian starters before free agency tampering window.
The big question is how much was 2025 SMS or 2026 marketing money and the end 2026 SMS hit.
I guess we will have to defer to Walters on these issues. He knows who he has to sign, what resources he has to sign them with, what 2025 $SMS he had left, what marketing money is available.
If we had Ed Hervey or Chris Jones, I'd be worried they'd hit a wall having overspent. But not so much with Walters. And this year, there's no Dobson or Lawler that's going to be a tough decision to match. Those players have been re-upped already.
We might see a few crapshoot guys, like Dillon Mitchell, still signed, but I think we will re-sign most of the guys that actually played last year, and we will still have depth behind them to compete.
Quote from: theaardvark on December 22, 2025, 05:39:43 PMI guess we will have to defer to Walters on these issues. He knows who he has to sign, what resources he has to sign them with, what 2025 $SMS he had left, what marketing money is available.
If we had Ed Hervey or Chris Jones, I'd be worried they'd hit a wall having overspent. But not so much with Walters. And this year, there's no Dobson or Lawler that's going to be a tough decision to match. Those players have been re-upped already.
We might see a few crapshoot guys, like Dillon Mitchell, still signed, but I think we will re-sign most of the guys that actually played last year, and we will still have depth behind them to compete.
I'm thinking Marketing Money will be from the 2026 spending. In theory the 2025 amount will have been used.
D Mitchell was arrested for traffic violations and resisting arrest. That likely makes him a felon and not eligible to enter Canada. Depending on court date and conviction, that is a pending issue. However from a PR point of view I'd expect the team to release him.
Quote from: Blue In BC on December 22, 2025, 06:22:21 PMD Mitchell was arrested for traffic violations and resisting arrest. That likely makes him a felon and not eligible to enter Canada. Depending on court date and conviction, that is a pending issue. However from a PR point of view I'd expect the team to release him.
The optics alone should be reason enough to show him the door; he's not FIFO material.
Then there the fact he's facing a lengthy list of charges (https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/winnipeg-blue-bombers-receiver-dillon-mitchell-faces-felony-charges-after-arkansas-arrest/#:~:text=charges%20of%20felony%20fleeing%2C%20DWI%20first%20offense%2C%20refusal%20to%20submit%20to%20a%20chemical%20test%2C%20reckless%20driving%2C%20speeding%2C%20driving%20without%20a%20license%2C%20and%20disregarding%20traffic%20signals), which means he'll more than likely be ineligible for entry into Canada for the foreseeable future.
Quote from: Blue In BC on December 22, 2025, 06:22:21 PMI'm thinking Marketing Money will be from the 2026 spending. In theory the 2025 amount will have been used.
D Mitchell was arrested for traffic violations and resisting arrest. That likely makes him a felon and not eligible to enter Canada. Depending on court date and conviction, that is a pending issue. However from a PR point of view I'd expect the team to release him.
No mention of any action taken regarding Mitchell, maybe they're waiting till he is charged or convicted, the fact his name is still listed on the roster is baffling. Did they intend to invite him back to TC to try again?
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on December 22, 2025, 07:02:23 PMNo mention of any action taken regarding Mitchell, maybe they're waiting till he is charged or convicted, the fact his name is still listed on the roster is baffling. Did they intend to invite him back to TC to try again?
He only signed a one year deal so it's safer and less risk from a liability perspective to say and do nothing and simply not resign him.
Quote from: Blue In BC on December 22, 2025, 06:22:21 PMI'm thinking Marketing Money will be from the 2026 spending. In theory the 2025 amount will have been used.
We only care about SMS $, and from an SMS perspective MMM has nothing to do with anything. It's ALL off the SMS. (We've gone over this before!)
Ya, I guess if you want to get into the actual real money accounting you can guess at what FY they are using, but to us fans it means nothing. WFC is rich rich rich with real $, so who cares. SMS is our alpha and omega.
Quote from: theaardvark on December 22, 2025, 05:39:43 PMWe might see a few crapshoot guys, like Dillon Mitchell, still signed
D.Mitchell was so not coming back, even before he got arrested. He couldn't even break the AR for the ESF! He did nothing all season. Hot garbage complete waste of time & space. A guy with great raw talent but lacking everything else.
The "crapshoot" guy this FA will be To Schoen Or Not To Schoen.
Quote from: Tecno on December 23, 2025, 07:31:38 AMWe only care about SMS $, and from an SMS perspective MMM has nothing to do with anything. It's ALL off the SMS. (We've gone over this before!)
Ya, I guess if you want to get into the actual real money accounting you can guess at what FY they are using, but to us fans it means nothing. WFC is rich rich rich with real $, so who cares. SMS is our alpha and omega.
It matters because the higher the MM, the less the SC$. So you want to know how much and in what years he's receiving the money so we're not getting 300k hits each year.
I'm assuming he got some sort of signing bonus which he gets now (and comes off the 2025 cap), but they split up across the 3 years of his contract. Like Blue in BC said, no "new" marketing money will be given to him now, as he was paid out from his previous contract for 2025. But hopefully he has a a nice, healthy MM cheque paid out in each of the 3 years that will take another bump from that 300k total.
Quote from: Tecno on December 23, 2025, 07:31:38 AMWe only care about SMS $, and from an SMS perspective MMM has nothing to do with anything. It's ALL off the SMS. (We've gone over this before!)
Ya, I guess if you want to get into the actual real money accounting you can guess at what FY they are using, but to us fans it means nothing. WFC is rich rich rich with real $, so who cares. SMS is our alpha and omega.
That's the point. We don't know the SMS amount for 2026 which is why I mentioned Marketing Money. Whether the team is rich or not is irrelevant. The expectation is to not exceed the SMS by much if at all so it has bearing on SMS remaining for other players.
It's also been discussed that most don't encourage just free wheeling and spending excessively more than the SMS because we are a rich team. That's why an SMS was introduced to protect against rich private owners spending whatever they wanted in the past.
Quote from: Blue In BC on December 22, 2025, 06:22:21 PMI'm thinking Marketing Money will be from the 2026 spending. In theory the 2025 amount will have been used.
D Mitchell was arrested for traffic violations and resisting arrest. That likely makes him a felon and not eligible to enter Canada. Depending on court date and conviction, that is a pending issue. However from a PR point of view I'd expect the team to release him.
When I mentioned "crapshoot guys like Mitchell" being signed, I was referring to how he was signed last year. There is no scenario where I see Dillon Mtchell ever wear Blue and Gold again. Orange, maybe. Black and white, possibly. Not Blue and Gold.
Quote from: Jesse on December 23, 2025, 12:32:53 PMIt matters because the higher the MM, the less the SC$. So you want to know how much and in what years he's receiving the money so we're not getting 300k hits each year.
But hopefully he has a a nice, healthy MM cheque paid out in each of the 3 years that will take another bump from that 300k total.
Ah, I see. You mean inclusive of the hard number already given. Ya, I guess you want to spread it out to reduce SMS hit every year.
I really hate the whole MMM concept and wish they'd get rid of it. Just go back to having media appearances being part of your main contract. You know, like they were for like 50 years in the CFL before MMM...