The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have added American quarterback Payton Thorne to their negotiation list.
Thorne was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on August 25 and remains without a practice roster landing spot. He appeared in just one of the team’s preseason games, completing four-of-seven passes for 41 yards.
The six-foot-two, 207-pound pivot finished his collegiate career at Auburn University, appearing in 24 games with 22 starts over two seasons. He completed 361-of-582 passes (62 percent) for 4,468 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. He also rushed for 798 yards and five majors while posting a 10-12 record.
The native of Naperville, Ill. began his collegiate career at Michigan State, where he played 29 games and made 26 straight starts. Thorne connected on 525-of-861 passes (60.9 percent) for 6,493 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions as a Spartan, while running for 270 yards and six scores.
CFL teams can claim the rights to up to 45 players via the negotiation list on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that they are not eligible for the Canadian or Global Drafts, and have never played in the league before. These players can be added, traded, or removed from the list at any time.
Being added to the negotiation list does not mean that the player has expressed interest in the CFL, and many are unaware that their rights have been claimed. Players can only force their removal from the list if the team does not provide them with a minimum contract offer at their request.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-2) at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, August 31 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off back-to-back wins against Ottawa and Montreal, while the Roughriders had their four-game winning streak snapped by the Stampeders.
The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 29 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 620 CKRM in Regina.
