MONTREAL – Even Danny Maciocia and Jason Maas may have to discuss intensely to choose between Cody Fajardo and Davis Alexander.
This subject received, unsurprisingly, all the attention during the assessment of the leaders of the Montreal Alouettes.
At the very end, we proposed this question to the head coach. “Jason, if you had to choose today the identity of your starting quarterback in 2025, would you have the same choice as Danny? »
“That’s a good question and I can’t answer it to be honest,” he said after a little thought.
“If I had a gun to my head, I don’t know which one I would choose; both are excellent. I can see positives in both. I know what Cody can accomplish, I’ve been running him for five years. But we will have to discuss and decide on the future of the organization. This choice will have an impact on the rest of the training,” added Maas.
“You also have to think about longevity. If Cody can play another season or two while Davis can continue his career for 10 years. Everyone has seen Anthony Calvillo’s long journey here and it’s not easy to find the next one next. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one. You have to make a difficult choice and we believe in these two athletes,” the coach continued to expand on his response.
Because no, it’s impossible to retain the services of Fajardo and Alexander with their monetary ambitions.
“You can’t have two quarterbacks with starting salaries. It would have too big an impact on the other positions,” Maciocia said from the outset.
However, if we had to predict the choice of Maciocia, we would say that the general manager will push for a long-term ally with Alexander.
The Alouettes GM is usually used to being honest in his media statements. The fact that Alexander will start the 2025 season at 26 years old compared to 33 years old for Fajardo influences his thinking.
“I will not hide from you that this factor has an impact. He is (almost) seven years younger, he earns less. In addition, we must not forget that we identified him when he was at Portland State University, we invested in him for three years. We realize that he has great potential and he finds himself in our backyard. Davis could play for eight, ten or twelve years if things go well and he stays healthy,” Maciocia unpacked without limiting himself on his argument.
“We must also not forget that we have a quarterback, in Cody, who has a lot of experience. He knows how to win games and he was the MVP of the Gray Cup,” continued the GM.
“Instead of making a decision based on emotions and what the fans would like, we want to take the time to arrive at a considered decision,” Maciocia said.
However, Alexander is far from having the experience of Fajardo and it remains daring to have to side with him when he has not played half a season as a starter.
Where Maciocia couldn’t be wrong is that the organization is fortunate to have two reliable quarterbacks. “I don’t know how long it’s been since the Alouettes had two starters at their disposal…” he sighed.
If you thought that was it, Maciocia also added this addition about the moment that convinced him of his potential.
“Jason wasn’t in Montreal yet. Twice, in an exhibition game, he led the team late to victory. I knew the CFL had a starting quarterback in him,” noted Maciocia, highlighting his positive and competitive influence in the locker room.
All this to say that Fajardo does not speak French, but he will echo Maciocia’s comments. Perhaps it was a way to convince Fajardo to accept a salary reduction so that the Alouettes could keep both players.
But, in the final stretch of his career, it is hard to imagine Fajardo giving up a significant sum when he has just become a father for the second time.
Moreover, on Monday, Fajardo did not seem to have enjoyed his conversation with Maciocia. Fajardo submitted the idea that “it’s not always a good thing to have two very good quarterbacks on a team, because it divides the fans, the players and the coaches.”
In this regard, Maas assured that this did not happen.
“There is no division in our locker room. I spoke with all 75 players in the last two days and no one mentioned this possibility. I understand the dynamic with one young quarterback waiting for his chance as a starter and the other who is an established starter. It takes a strong locker room to stay united and that’s what happened,” Maas reacted.
On the other hand, this division takes shape by itself at the end of the season when a decision is necessary.
This is where Alexander was transparent with colleague Pablo Herrera Vergara, replying “Maybe there is a crazy world in which we can find ourselves, both, on the same team. But that seems improbable to me.”
This feeling has not gone away with the words of Maciocia and Maas who will be able to debate the issue in the coming days and perhaps more.
