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Adam Bighill was a coach on the field for much of his illustrious CFL career, but don’t expect him to be doing it from the sidelines any time soon — at least not at the professional level.
The 37-year-old, who announced his retirement on Monday after signing a one-day contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, wouldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility of a coaching second act during his farewell press conference, but made clear that it wasn’t the current plan.
“Whether I’ll be coaching professionally, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say anything’s ever off the table, but I will say that the amount of work that goes into coaching can’t be understated in terms of preparation and the time it takes,” Bighill said. “Now, just imagine the time that I take to prepare as a football player; that’s what I do in my business, managing money. You can’t do everything that you want in the world, because your limiting factor is time. I am putting a premium on my family, too. I’d say coaching at some point in the future could be possible, but it’s not on my near-term radar now, that’s for sure.”
The future Hall of Famer does have a desire to wear the whistle, just not in the CFL. He has long been involved in coaching at the amateur level in Manitoba and intends to keep taking a hands-on approach as all three of his children make their way through the system. His eldest son, A.J., is currently playing up an age level for a 14U tackle team, while his daughter, Leah, and younger son, Beau, compete in flag football.
Not being present to coach their teams was the toughest part of Bighill’s final CFL season in 2025. He had the full support of his wife, Kristina, and all three kids to pursue a last hurrah with the Calgary Stampeders, but found the distance difficult.
“A.J. was in tackle football last year, and I wasn’t able to be there coaching him and help guiding that team to success. We lost, I think, a close semi-final game. I’m just competitive, so I’m saying, ‘Okay, well, if I’m there, can I make sure we win the entire thing?’” he grinned. “I don’t want to miss those opportunities with my kids. I don’t know how guys do it, come up here and they’re away from their families, and then they’ve got to go back. This was something that I always took for granted that I never had to do.”
Bighill’s competitive fire is unlikely to ever be sated, but he has nothing left to prove as a player. In 196 regular-season CFL games, he’s recorded 951 defensive tackles, 72 special teams tackles, 50 sacks, 15 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, and one touchdown. He is a three-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player, a six-time CFL all-star, an eight-time West Division all-star, and a recipient of the CFLPA’s Tom Pate Memorial Award for outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to his team and community.
He’s left an indelible mark on the fabric of the game thanks to his incomparable versatility, which allowed him to cover like a safety, tackle like a linebacker, and rush the passer like a defensive end. However, success wasn’t a foregone conclusion when he first arrived at B.C. Lions training camp in 2011.
“The first thing a reporter and interviewer says to me is, ‘We’re surprised you’re here after this first game. We thought you would have been an early round cut.’ I was just shocked that that’s the first thing that they had thought about when they saw me, because that’s not how I saw myself. I saw myself as going to be one of the best who ever played the game,” Bighill recalled.
“I feel like I’ve helped revolutionize the CFL in terms of what you look for in a linebacker. When I came in, I was too short and too small and undersized, and now you look at the league, they’re looking for more guys that can do what I’ve done, and it doesn’t really necessarily matter on height.”
Even after 15 years in professional football, there were teams that reached out to the three-time Grey Cup champion this offseason to gauge his interest in jobs both on and off the field. Nevertheless, he knew early on it was time to call it a career.
“Being the best and spending so much time and sacrificing so much to be there, you do fall short in other areas. I don’t have to do that anymore, which I’m ultimately happy about,” Bighill said. “I had opportunities to keep playing and opportunities to coach, but being away in another city for four or five months without my family, this isn’t something I was willing to do. It’s bittersweet, but I’m at peace knowing that I can be done on my own terms.”
Even if CFL fans won’t get the chance to witness him mentor budding linebackers or call defences, Bighill has no intention of being a stranger. Winnipeg is his home now, and he’ll always be around, cheering from a box instead of barking orders in the box.
“I’m not going to be far away from football,” he insisted. “I’m a treasurer for the CFLPA, so I’m involved with the CFL Players’ Association, and therefore I’m going to be around the CFL a lot. I think we have a good relationship here with the Bombers organization where we will be around. Me and my (business) partners, we have a box here at the stadium, so we will be at the games and supporting, and we have tickets and all that. We are Bomber fans and a Bomber family.”
