Blue Bombers re-sign kicker Sergio Castillo

[ModAdmin]

Blue Bombers re-sign kicker Sergio Castillo

WINNIPEG, MB., November 21, 2024 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has re-signed veteran kicker Sergio Castillo to a one-year contract.

He was scheduled to become a free agent in February of 2025.

Castillo (5-9, 197; West Texas A&M; born: November 1, 1990, in La Joya, TX) returns to the club after serving as the club's placekicker since 2023.

The 34-year-old is in his third stint with the Blue Bombers where he began his Canadian Football League career in 2015 and returning in 2021 via trade. He then signed in Edmonton in 2022 before rejoining the club in 2023 as a free agent.

Castillo was named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Special Teams Player for a second consecutive season in 2024 after connecting on 79.7 percent of his field goals (51-of-64), and hitting on 38-of-39 converts.

His 51 successful field goals – third highest in Blue Bombers history -- came from an average distance of 37.1 yards and the average attempt from 39.2 yards – both league-highs. He also established a new CFL record with 11 field goals of 50 yards or more, including two makes from 60 yard – breaking the previous team record of 58, first set by Bernie Ruoff in 1975 and tied by Justin Medlock in 2016.

[markf]

Related....are people happy with out punter?

[Blue In BC]

Related....are people happy with out punter?

Not especially but it's a decent use of the mandatory global spot. He was better in 2024 than in 2023 so he might improve in 2025.


Add to that were some of the bad kicks influenced by ST coach wanting to keep the fall away for returners?

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Glad to have him locked up - It's pretty unlikely we could find anyone better.

[Blue In BC]

Glad to have him locked up - It's pretty unlikely we could find anyone better.

Maybe. Many players in the global drafst have been kickers or punters. If it wasn't for global mandate and it was converted to an import DI spot, there would be lots of alternatives. I won't be surprised if we draft another global punter as depth this year.

Having Castillo as a DI limits our choices for a punter.

[blue_gold_84]

Good.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Maybe. Many players in the global drafst have been kickers or punters. If it wasn't for global mandate and it was converted to an import DI spot, there would be lots of alternatives. I won't be surprised if we draft another global punter as depth this year.

Having Castillo as a DI limits our choices for a punter.

The thing with field goal kicking is that nobody cares where you're from when the game starts. Canadian, American, Australian, it doesn't matter. You need someone who can make the kicks. There's lots of positions you can tolerate play for passport to some degree but field goal kicking is not one.

[Waffler]

Related....are people happy with out punter?

Ive never been happy with him but he seems super safe here. I'd like to see some real competition at 2025 TC.

Also Benson I think the same.

[Blue In BC]

The thing with field goal kicking is that nobody cares where you're from when the game starts. Canadian, American, Australian, it doesn't matter. You need someone who can make the kicks. There's lots of positions you can tolerate play for passport to some degree but field goal kicking is not one.

That's not what I meant. A global is a free spot when a Canadian can't be found. It's a strange subset of DI's.

I've made previous comments that I'd prefer that they roll the global spots over to DI's and then you'd see more opportunity for competition.  That doesn't impact the Canadian ratio anymore then 2 globals on the roster.

Globals make rosters by default. We draft 2 each year and they spend time on the PR. Aside from kickers not much impact.

I doubt the rule changes anytime soon but I can hope.

I see the Riders just re-signed their global punter after releasing him from their PR earlier. Their normal global punter Korsak might be a potential free agent.  Sheahan is a potential free agent.

[Blue In BC]

Ive never been happy with him but he seems super safe here. I'd like to see some real competition at 2025 TC.

Also Benson I think the same.

Good chance Leroux challenges Benson. Obviously younger, less expensive and under contract.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

That's not what I meant. A global is a free spot when a Canadian can't be found. It's a strange subset of DI's.

I've made previous comments that I'd prefer that they roll the global spots over to DI's and then you'd see more opportunity for competition.  That doesn't impact the Canadian ratio anymore then 2 globals on the roster.

Globals make rosters by default. We draft 2 each year and they spend time on the PR. Aside from kickers not much impact.

I doubt the rule changes anytime soon but I can hope.

I see the Riders just re-signed their global punter after releasing him from their PR earlier. Their normal global punter Korsak might be a potential free agent.  Sheahan is a potential free agent.

Sheahan probably provides the best value from the Global spot we're ever going to get. You're right though, a Canadian would have a chance to beat him but unless they change the rules on Globals now that Ambroise is gone he'd be hard to beat because you still need a global if it's not Sheahan and you'd still be subtracting a Canadian off your roster for the punter.

To put that in to 2024's frame of reference, in practice, that means: Weitz in for Sheahan, new punter in for Feltmate/Noah Hallet/Samson, something like that anyway. Doesn't sound like a good swap to me unless the Canadian punter was significantly better.

[Jesse]

One off the list.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Sheahan probably provides the best value from the Global spot we're ever going to get. You're right though, a Canadian would have a chance to beat him but unless they change the rules on Globals now that Ambroise is gone he'd be hard to beat because you still need a global if it's not Sheahan and you'd still be subtracting a Canadian off your roster for the punter.

To put that in to 2024's frame of reference, in practice, that means: Weitz in for Sheahan, new punter in for Feltmate/Noah Hallet/Samson, something like that anyway. Doesn't sound like a good swap to me unless the Canadian punter was significantly better.

People have to realize the Global designation is not protecting Aussie punters from Natls. taking back their jobs, the Aussie punters are clearly more abundant and more talented. 

[Blue In BC]

People have to realize the Global designation is not protecting Aussie punters from Natls. taking back their jobs, the Aussie punters are clearly more abundant and more talented. 

Also didn't mean that necessarily. If we rolled the global designation into just another import DI spot, then we could have an import as a kicker and one as a punter. At the very least it would create additional competition. The global punter could still be retained. He'd just be considered another non Canadian, thus an import.

It would also allow better use of 2 spots on the PR for Americans rather than forcing default spots for Globals.

Finding a Canadian punter is difficult and as mentioned then we have to add a different global to maintain the 1 player minimum.

I wonder if we'll hear how much his new deal is worth and compared to his last deal. He's not getting Medlock money but he's not getting ELC either.

[Blueforlife]

Awesome signing

Our punting was over criticized early by some with other teams finding success with the big leg.

Our punting is average, consistent and cheap.  Non issue handled internally.