Diego Pavia, CFL Update Revealed After QB's Ravens Contract as Undrafted Free Agent

The general manager of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers said this week that he was in contact with former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's representation before Pavia signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

According to John Hodge of 3DownNation.com, Blue Bombers GM Kyle Walters told reporters, "[Conversations] picked up a little bit, just educating them [about the CFL]."

However, with the Ravens signing Pavia after he was not selected in the 2026 NFL draft, Walters suggested that any talks between him and Pavia's agents will be put on hold.

"It's not the right time to educate players on the CFL when they're so dialed in on the NFL," Walters said. "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."

If the Ravens and the NFL don't work out and Pavia does decide to try his hand at the CFL, the Blue Bombers own his exclusive negotiating rights.

After stints at New Mexico Military Institute and New Mexico State, Pavia spent his final two collegiate seasons at Vandy, and he was highly productive.

His senior season in 2025 was his best by far, as Pavia completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 3,539 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 862 yards and 10 scores for a Commodores team that won 10 games for the first time in program history.

Diego Pavia Highlights

00:52

Pavia won SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind only Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL draft to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite Pavia's excellent 2025 campaign, he was not among the 257 picks made in the 2026 NFL draft, making him the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2014, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon.

Pavia is nowhere near the prototypical size for an NFL quarterback, which is likely the biggest reason why he wasn't selected.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Pavia measured just over 5'10" and weighed 207 pounds.

Pavia is also already 24 years old, making him one of the older draft-eligible quarterback prospects who were available.

With that said, Pavia may have landed in an ideal situation in Baltimore since the only established quarterbacks on the roster are Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.

If Pavia impresses during training camp and the preseason, he may have a legitimate chance to make the 53-man roster, or at least the practice squad.

However, if Pavia does not make it in the NFL, the CFL could be a quality fallback option, especially given the success that some smaller quarterbacks have had in the league over the years.

Doug Flutie is the best example, as the former Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers signal-caller played in the CFL from 1990 to 1997, winning three Grey Cups, three Grey Cup MVP awards and six CFL Most Outstanding Player awards.