The skeptics would say the Alouettes are forging ahead with starting quarterback Davis Alexander based on a limited sample size.
Montreal head coach Jason Maas, however, said much more has been gleaned from the three seasons the organization spent developing Alexander and watching him progress into the player he believes can become a franchise quarterback for the Als, one year removed from a Grey Cup championship.
“I think the Alouettes are in a great position at the quarterback position,” Maas said Monday morning during a video conference call from Charlotte, N.C., where he and the remaining CFL head coaches and general managers are attending winter meetings in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association Convention.
“Davis Alexander has proven himself, with the limited exposure he has had, to be a very capable and winning quarterback,” Maas continued. “In order to have a franchise quarterback you need to see what he’s like in the building, the leadership qualities he has, the competitiveness and preparedness. Make sure that’s growing and getting better each year. That’s what Davis has shown. I think he’s ready for the next step.”
The Als decided Alexander, 26, was their quarterback of the future in late November, signing him to a three-year contract extension before he became eligible for free agency in February. The other shoe then dropped on Dec. 17, when veteran Cody Fajardo — the most valuable player in Montreal’s Cup victory against Winnipeg — was traded to Edmonton for McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
Bethel-Thompson, also eligible for free agency, was signed for the upcoming season on Monday although, at 36, he’s four years older than Fajardo. Fellow quarterback Caleb Evans, Maas’s first option originally over Alexander after Fajardo suffered a hamstring injury last July, also is returning as is James Morgan, a fourth-round draft choice of the New York Jets in 2020 who spent last season on the practice roster.
Alexander was undefeated in four games as Montreal’s starter, rallied the Als to a comeback victory against Saskatchewan on July 25 and played in portions of three other games. He completed 105 of 151 passes for 1,347 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted twice. He also gained 166 yards on 24 carries (6.9-yard average) while scoring three touchdowns.
“Bethel-Thompson is going to make us a better team,” said Maas, who was named the CFL’s coach of the year in 2024 after leading the Als to a league-best 12-5-1 record, only to lose the East Division final at home to Toronto, who then defeated the Blue Bombers for the championship.
“It’s going to give us that veteran leadership,” Maas said. “A guy that has won a Grey Cup behind (Alexander). We’ve got a very competitive quarterback room. I think the Alouettes are in a great position there.”
In a perfect world, the Als would have had both Fajardo and Alexander under contract. But it would have been impossible to pay both starter’s money under the league’s $5.65-million salary cap, especially since Fajardo was due a $200,000 bonus this week as part of his team-high $482,000 contract.
While Bethel-Thompson passed for 3,748 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, Edmonton started its season with seven consecutive losses and fired GM/head coach Chris Jones in mid-July with the team at 0-5. Bethel-Thompson became moot in the Elks’ plans when they signed Canadian quarterback Tre Ford to a contract extension on Dec. 6.
“When you look at the situation, obviously not having Cody in the room, being with Cody as long as I have, he’s the most familiar with our system,” Maas acknowledged. “He’s played the most and won a Grey Cup with us. But that obviously wasn’t in the cards. I don’t think there’s any looking back.
“I know we’re going to be in great hands (at quarterback). You look at age in a quarterback but when I watched (Bethel-Thompson) play last year, he ain’t slowing down. He can move his feet very well. He’s a guy that knows the pocket very well, still has the arm strength and makes good decisions. Even though he’s a little bit older he’s still very capable of winning games for you. We have a guy that can help mentor Davis, be there for support when that’s needed and be able to step in when that’s needed. I love our quarterback room. That position has to be a strength. I know that’s what it is for us.”
Meanwhile, while Maas refused to divulge whom among his assistant coaches wouldn’t return next season, he intimated changes to the staff could be coming.