Diego Pavia still has a chance to make it in the NFL after his deal with the Ravens. However, a few days ago, that looked unlikely when his name was not called in the draft. That opened up the possibility of the Vandy QB moving to CFN. In fact, a CFL team has even been in touch with the QB, as confirmed by the GM. However, that plan is on hold right now.

“[Conversations] picked up a little bit, just educating them [about the CFL],” said Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ GM Kyle Walters on Wednesday. “[Pavia’s representatives] were fine and receptive, but like all guys, with much lesser pedigrees than him, we all kind of get the same treatment prior to the NFL draft, which is, politely, ‘We’re focused on the NFL, and we’ll see what shakes down.'”

“It’s not the right time to educate players on the CFL when they’re so dialed in on the NFL. But he is an interesting prospect, and yes, we’ve been in contact with the agent, but it’s just very early, and now that he signed with Baltimore, I don’t think that it’s much of a conversation moving forward at this point,” added the GM.

As Pavia signed a three-year contract with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent on April 28, going to the CFL couldn’t be a near-future plan. But the Ravens can release the former Vandy QB at any time if he doesn’t perform or doesn’t make their active roster or practice squad. That’s where Diego Pavia’s representative’s connection with the Blue Bombers can come into play.

Since 2024, the CFL team has held Pavia’s exclusive negotiating rights, and the GM called Pavia an “interesting prospect.” The 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up had a highly productive season at Vanderbilt, where he recorded 3,539 yards and 29 TDs. He led Vanderbilt to its first-ever 10-win season and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

In 2024, he orchestrated a 40–35 upset over Alabama, the program’s first win against a top-five opponent. Then he was named SEC Newcomer of the Year and Birmingham Bowl MVP after a five-TD performance against Georgia Tech. Despite these accolades, concerns about his 5-foot-10 stature led to him going undrafted, making him the first Heisman finalist since 2014 and the first runner-up since 2003 to go undrafted.

Finally, he got the Baltimore opportunity, but he has a test to prove himself a right fit. And if he can’t make that count, the Blue Bombers’ opportunity is there. Even the CFL performance could help him for an NFL return. Just ask Doug Flutie. He is widely regarded as the greatest player in CFL history, setting the gold standard for NFL prospects who transition north.

Flutie famously used his CFL success to “rekindle” his career, proving that the Canadian game could develop QBs for an NFL return. After his eight-year run in the CFL, he signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1998. That season, he earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year and a Pro Bowl nod after leading the team to the playoffs.

But Pavia is now focusing on competing for the Ravens’ No. 3 QB spot against fellow undrafted free agent Joe Fagnano. Yet his ‘fiery’ personality could be a concern as the NFL typically prefers QBs who are composed.

The CFL is ready to accept the Vandy QB

The Blue Bombers would not hold Diego Pavia’s “big personality” against him. Regarding the QB’s outspoken nature (like his viral “f-bomb” after beating Alabama), GM Kyle Walters remarked that he and Coach Mike O’Shea understand that young players today are different, noting that they want players who “compete and are confident.”

“Mike and I, we’re old, and we understand that young guys today change. We’re not like old men yelling at clouds; we understand that young men today are different, and we get that. You’re not going to hold against him for being an individual, as long as it’s not a distraction to the team,” said the GM.

“He’s got a big personality and he’d make [the communications staff’s] job harder, I’m sure, if he were to sign, but he’s an interesting young man that competes and is confident in himself, which at that position is not a bad thing.”

His outspoken nature makes him a target for opposing defenses. While he thrives on the conflict, some talent evaluators worry that it leads to unnecessary hits or penalties that could hurt a team. Therefore, in the NFL, the QB will likely have to tone it down to win over a coaching staff as a backup, but in the CFL, that exact same energy would likely make him an instant fan favorite and a marketing dream for a team like Winnipeg.

Walters mentioned the CFL is often more welcoming to “big characters.” “I think people get caught up in my confidence for arrogance. But my confidence comes from my preparation of work that I put in in the offseason, the week of, just things like that,” said Diego Pavia.