WINNIPEG — Dru Brown is returning to Winnipeg after the Blue Bombers acquired the quarterback in a trade with the Ottawa Redblacks on Tuesday.

The Blue Bombers also received a second-round pick in the 2027 CFL draft and sent their first-round selection in 2027 and a conditional second-round pick in 2028 to Ottawa.

The move comes after Brown lost his starting job in Ottawa to Jake Maier before the season.

Later Tuesday, the Redblacks signed quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who won two Grey Cups with the Toronto Argonauts under current Ottawa coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie.

Bethel-Thompson, 37, completed 155 of 243 passes for 1,746 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in 15 appearances for the Montreal Alouettes last season.

“We’re excited to add a player like McLeod to our football club. I’ve worked with him in the past, and I know the type of competitor he is,” said Dinwiddie in a statement. “He’s a veteran quarterback with a lengthy resume and the experience he brings will be a valuable addition to our organization.

“He’s seen just about every situation in the game and we’re looking forward to having him in our locker room.”

Brown appeared in 38 games with Winnipeg from 2021-23, helping the Bombers win the Grey Cup in his first season.

He mostly served as a backup to star quarterback Zach Collaros but went 2-1 in three starts.

After his negotiating rights were traded to Ottawa in January 2024, Brown signed with the Redblacks and became their starting quarterback.

He went 8-6-1 in his first season with Ottawa and helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018, but regressed last season when he went 2-7 in an injury-plagued season.

He will return to a depth role behind Collaros in Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers dressed Canadian Taylor Elgersma as Collaros’s backup in its first two games of the season.

Brown holds the CFL record for most touchdown passes in a season without an interception, set in 2023 with nine. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.