MONTREAL — Cody Fajardo is hungry to lead the Montreal Alouettes back to the Grey Cup next year.
The veteran quarterback, however, couldn’t confirm that general manager Danny Maciocia would choose him as next season’s starter over backup Davis Alexander.
“There's a lot of things that have to work out in the off-season,” Fajardo said Monday after his exit meeting with the Alouettes GM. “You have a, let's call it a little bit older quarterback, and you have a young quarterback, and you have a young quarterback who played well.
“We've had our conversations. No decisions have been made and a lot of things can pan out over the next couple days.”
The reigning champion Alouettes cleaned out their lockers after losing 30-28 at home to the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL’s East Division final on Saturday.
Fajardo, last year’s Grey Cup MVP, will be 33 when training camp starts next season.
Meanwhile, Alexander turned 26 last month and turned heads this season with his stellar play when Fajardo missed time with a hamstring injury.
The Alouettes have some decisions to make. While Fajardo is under contract through next year, Alexander could test free agency in February.
Based on past experience, Fajardo doesn’t want to be in a situation where he’s not the undisputed No. 1.
"You want to be on a team where you know you're going to be the guy and you don't feel like if you play bad in one game, all of a sudden you're not going to be that guy,” Fajardo said. “I've been a part of that situation, in my last year (with the Saskatchewan Roughriders), and it's extremely difficult for anybody to play in that situation where you feel like you're afraid to make a mistake.”
This season’s B.C. Lions were a prime example of that. QB Vernon Adams Jr. said the team’s decision to stick with Canadian Nathan Rourke as the starter might have caused “a little bit” of division in the Lions locker room.
“Sometimes having two incredibly talented quarterbacks is not a good thing, because it divides people. It divides fans. It divides guys in your locker room,” Fajardo said. “I have all the faith in coach (Jason) Maas and in Danny and them making the right decision, whatever decision that means.”
Fajardo threw for 3,105 yards, 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 games this season. He led the league with a 73.6 completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts.
In the East final, he went 27-for-42 with 330 yards and three TDs, but also fumbled the ball and threw two interceptions. The first bounced out of Walter Fletcher’s hands, the other came on a possible game-tying two-point conversion.
But Fajardo still believes he has a lot left to give.
“I feel like I'm playing the best ball of my career, even though people might think otherwise,” he said. “A lot of things can change in the CFL moving forward, but I'm excited to have at least another opportunity to kind of right your wrongs the next year.
“I expressed my feelings (to management), how I want to be the quarterback for this organization, and how I feel like I can still play at a talented level enough to win us a Grey Cup."
Fajardo was off to a hot start before sustaining his injury early in Week 6 against Toronto, which eventually opened the door for Alexander.
Alexander, who began the season as Montreal’s third-stringer, replaced Caleb Evans off the bench against Saskatchewan on July 25 before leading the Alouettes to a 20-16 comeback victory.
“I'm going to always believe in myself,” Alexander said. “I could have told you that I was going to have a great year if I just got the opportunity."
Alexander then started in three consecutive wins and won behind centre again in Week 19 when Fajardo was absent for the birth of his second son.
The Portland State product went 105-for-151 for 1,347 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 166 yards and three TDs on 24 carries.
"His market value is extremely high right now," Fajardo said. "Guy came in and played extremely well.
"There's going to be some franchises that are going to need a quarterback every single year."
So is Alexander prepared to come back to Montreal as a backup?
"Just going to depend on every other situation, right? See what the league looks like,” he said. “I do love it here. Love the coaches, I love the organization, but of course, it still has to make sense to me and my family and all that.
“Maybe it works out that way where I'm not the starter and I do come back, I'm not sure. I'm not going to rule out anything."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
