Every CFL team requires at least two quarterbacks capable of winning. Over the course of an 18-game regular season, it’s rare for the starter not to be injured.
The burning question facing Alouettes management this off-season will be whether the organization can afford to keep both Cody Fajardo, 32, who remains under contract in 2025 — but is owed a raise — and his backup, Davis Alexander, 26, a potential free agent in February.
“You can’t have two starting quarterbacks making starter’s money,” General Manager Danny Maciocia said Tuesday afternoon, when he, head coach Jason Maas and team president Mark Weightman met the media at Olympic Stadium. “That’s part of the dialogue I’m going to have in the next little while with Jason. Is that a discussion that takes place over the course of 20 minutes or a day? No. It’s going to be more intense and detailed before we make any decisions.
“Can we potentially have them both on our roster in 2025? Yeah. How? I’m not there just yet. There’s some thought that has to go into this whole process. If that opportunity presents itself, we’ll do so. If it doesn’t, we’ll sit down and a decision has to be rendered as to what’s best for the Montreal Alouettes moving forward. It’s obviously going to be salary driven.”
The Als won the Grey Cup last season with Fajardo, who was named the game’s most valuable player. The team was 5-0 under Fajardo this season, and he appeared to be a most outstanding player candidate, before he suffered a hamstring injury, forcing him to miss the next four games.
Nonetheless, Fajardo still passed for 3,105 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 73.6 per cent of his attempts. He was intercepted seven times. He passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s East Division final loss against Toronto, but was intercepted twice and was off-target with several throws.
Alexander came off the bench in the second half against Saskatchewan on July 25, rallied the Als to a comeback victory and won his next three starts, although two were against last-place Hamilton. He started again Oct. 14 against Ottawa while Fajardo returned home for the birth of his second child. While the Als won, Alexander passed for a modest 208 yards and was intercepted once. He also replaced Fajardo in the final two games, against B.C. and Winnipeg.
Alexander passed for 1,347 yards and six touchdowns while completing 69.5 per cent of his throws. He threw two interceptions.
If it comes down to one or the other, Als management must decide whether to hitch their wagon to Fajardo, the veteran, or Alexander, knowing he’s younger. And while the organization has invested three seasons into Alexander, developing him, can it risk making him the starter based on limited playing time?
There’s no denying Alexander’s potential and the excitement factor he brings to the offence. But at 6-feet and 200 pounds, he’s also two inches shorter and 12 pounds lighter than Fajardo. That could become significant over the course of an 18-game season. It also shouldn’t be forgotten Alexander was third on the depth chart. Maas played Caleb Evans before him, following Fajardo’s injury.
A CFL source with knowledge of the situation told The Gazette he believes the Als can afford to retain both quarterbacks because much of the remaining roster isn’t filled with high-priced players. Fajardo signed a contract extension following the Grey Cup taking him through next season. He’s likely due an off-season bonus at some point in the new year, which will indicate the organization’s intention.
Another option, of course, might force Maciocia to inquire whether Fajardo would be willing to restructure his contract and take a reduced salary for the good of the team. Maciocia said no such talks have occurred, but Maas didn’t deny that option exists.
“If you told me, with a gun to my head, I don’t know which one I’d pick to be quite honest because they’re both great,” Maas said. “I can see the positives in both of them. I’ve been with Cody for five years. I know what Cody’s capable of. It’s going to be a matter of getting together and deciding the future of the organization. Whoever it is, the rest of the roster gets impacted by it.
“You also have to look at longevity,” he added. “If Cody’s going to play a year more or a couple of years more, and Davis potentially has 10 more years down the road …”
Former Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo played until 2013, when he was forced to retire following a concussion at age 41. It took the organization years to find the heir apparent; the team missing the playoffs from 2015-18. Montreal’s fortunes turned in 2019, with Vernon Adams Jr. at quarterback, and the team acquired veteran Trevor Harris in an October 2021 trade from Edmonton.
“Finding the next (quarterback) one isn’t quite that easy,” said Maas, himself a former CFL pivot. “We’re in a very good spot. I don’t think you can go wrong either way. You have to pick one and believe in him. I know we believe in both of them. It’s a matter of making a tough decision.
“If Cody would be good about taking a cut so Davis made a little bit more, and you work that for another year, that’s doable. That takes a lot of guts for both those guys. We have to look at every possible scenario.”