Former CFL and NFL quarterback Chris Streveler has officially announced his retirement from professional football.
The 31-year-old shared a video montage of his career highlights on Instagram with a voiceover revealing his decision.
Streveler became a free agent on February 10, when his contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers expired. He is currently undergoing rehab after suffering a torn left ACL late in the 2025 season, which required surgery. It marked the second year in a row that he had suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Streveler first burst onto the scene in 2018 as a rookie out of the University of South Dakota, making four starts to open the year in place of an injured Matt Nichols. A year later, he would make eight more and play an integral package role en route to the Bombers breaking their 29-year Grey Cup drought. He would rise to the level of cult hero amidst the celebrations, showing up to the parade shirtless with an open fur coat and cowboy hat.
The six-foot-two, 220-pound dual-threat pivot translated his performance into an NFL opportunity, signing with the Arizona Cardinals. He dressed for seven games with the team over two seasons, later spending time with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
The native of Naperville, Ill., landed with the New York Jets in 2022 and appeared in two more games, making his first-ever NFL start. In four seasons south of the border, he completed 27-of-40 pass attempts for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while rushing 16 times for 75 yards.
Streveler returned to Winnipeg in 2024 and assumed his role as the primary backup behind Zach Collaros. He made one start that season and five this past year, bringing his total to 18 for his career.
Over 66 career regular-season CFL games, Streveler has thrown for 4,144 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions, and rushed 359 times for 1,740 yards and 41 scores.
The Bombers are expected to have a competition for the backup quarterback job in training camp. Terry Wilson is entering his third season with limited experience, while the club has also signed former UFL MVP Bryce Perkins and Auburn star Payton Thorne. 2025 CFL Draft pick Taylor Elgersma remains unsigned.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were active in free agency, signing receivers Tommy Nield and Tim White, offensive lineman Jarell Broxton, defensive lineman Jake Ceresna, linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, and defensive back Jonathan Moxey. The team also suffered a few departures, including receiver Keric Wheatfall (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) and defensive lineman James Vaughters (Saskatchewan Roughriders). Jake Thomas, the team’s longest-tenured player, retired to become its defensive line coach.
The Blue Bombers hold the fourth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Winnipeg will play its first preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, May 23 and its regular-season game against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, June 5.
In 2025, Winnipeg finished fourth in the West Division standings with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.
