MONTREAL – Cody Fajardo or Davis Alexander in 2025? Here is the question for the leaders of the Montreal Alouettes and for the team’s fans. In fact, Fajardo himself fueled this debate.
We knew that this issue would be the major issue of the Alouettes’ off-season since Fajardo still has one year left on his contract while Alexander could become a free agent.
With all the experience he has, one would have thought that Fajardo would have released the “tape” to distance himself from this issue, but instead he seemed to want to send a message two days after the elimination of his troupe.
That said, it was difficult to clearly understand Fajardo’s intentions at the end of his press scrum which lasted ten minutes near the team’s locker room at the Olympic Stadium.
It should be noted that Fajardo, who will start the 2025 season at age 33, had just come out of his meeting with general manager Danny Maciocia. It is therefore not impossible that their discussion led Fajardo to give up clichés.
His most intriguing comment was definitely this.
“Sometimes, banking on two very good quarterbacks is not a good thing,” he said.
“Because it divides people, the fans, the people in the locker room, the coaches. This is not always the best formula. But I have a lot of confidence in Danny and Coach (Jason) Maas that they will make the right decision. I am ready to play another year and I would like to retire as a member of the Alouettes,” continued Fajardo.
Does he not imagine seeing Alexander in an Alouettes uniform again?
“That’s a question for him and I hope you cooked it like me.” All I know is that its market value is very high right now. He played very well in a year in which replacements were in high demand (across the CFL) and I think he was the best. Teams are going to need a quarterback every year. It’s just to see if he wants to test autonomy,” replied Fajardo, almost seeming to promote his candidacy to other teams.
“But the grass is not always greener on the neighbor’s side. In my case, it was greener in Montreal,” continued number 7 in the same direction.
We therefore deduce that Maciocia did not promise him that he would be the starter in 2025.
“We end up with an older and a younger quarterback. The youngster played well so we talked, but no decision was made. The good thing is that they know that I want to continue playing here and I mentioned that,” reacted Fajardo, who assures that he can lead the Alouettes to their ninth Gray Cup.
So the option to restructure the final year of his contract – to give Davis Alexander a raise – becomes legitimate.
“It depends on the numbers, because I have to think about my family. I also want to feel like I’m the trustworthy guy. Don’t think that it will change as soon as you play a bad match. I experienced it in my last year in Saskatchewan and it is extremely difficult, you fear making mistakes,” said the veteran who is looking for strong support.
Fajardo also took the opportunity to praise all of his work.
“I believe I am playing the best football of my career even if some people think otherwise. A lot of things can change during the off-season, but I’m excited to have another opportunity,” he said.
“Before I got injured, I thought I was having a season worthy of the MVP. I led the CFL in fewest turnovers per pass attempt and pass completion percentage. Except that you end up losing your rhythm, this injury took the wind out of my sails,” analyzed Fajardo.
For the record, Fajardo injured his hamstring against Toronto which led Alexander to take over the starting role with a 4-0 record.
But we finally had confirmation that Fajardo was also injured during the September 21 match in Ottawa.
“I can tell you now, I fractured two ribs. I played the next game against Toronto and then I got three weeks to heal with my family, but you lose your momentum,” the quarterback revealed.
Alexander does not rule out any options
A few minutes earlier, Alexander answered our questions wearing different shoes from Fajardo. He must wait for the offers to decide.
“Oh yeah, it’ll probably be a long off-season. I’m going to talk with Coach Maas, Danny and Cody too. It’s in their hands,” Alexander first mentioned.
Would he like to play another season in Montreal in a reserve role?
“It will depend on the portrait across the CFL,” he submitted without hesitation.
“I love it here, I love the coaches and the organization. But it must make sense to me and to my family. So maybe I’ll stay back without being the starter, I’m not sure. I don’t rule out any possibility,” Alexander uttered to add details.
As a confident athlete, Alexander is willing to bet on himself. With Shawn Lemon’s story, he realized his choice of words wasn’t perfect, but he feels equipped to succeed.
At 26 years old, Alexander will be of interest to a multitude of CFL teams and even teams with established quarterbacks who would like to rejuvenate at this position.
One thing is certain, he left the Alouettes locker room with his head held high.
“It’s been a really crazy year and I’m really proud of myself after everything I’ve been through. It was strange because I experienced some of the best times of my life as well as the worst (the death of his father). I am proud of how I conducted myself and earned the respect of my peers and leaders,” said Alexander.
Since he is the oldest member of the team, at 39 years old, we thought of Kristian Matte on this thorny issue.
“That’s a really good question, I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with that.” Davis didn’t arrive out of nowhere, we knew he had a lot of talent. He had some magic and he has a cannon arm. When young people make a climb, it puts a little pressure on the veterans. But this competitive spirit improves the team and it makes Cody push a little harder too. It’s a good question, I only see good things and I hope the team can keep both,” Matte concluded.
