It’s not often a Grey Cup MVP finds himself as a backup on a different team just two seasons later but that is the situation for Cody Fajardo.
The Edmonton Elks acquired the veteran pivot from the Montreal Alouettes this offseason to backup Canadian Tre Ford, who was recently given a three-year contract extension. The new role will be an adjustment for Fajardo, but he’s eager to help fuel the development of his new teammate.
“There’s things that I can teach him and I know for sure that there’s things that he’s going to be able to teach me even though I’m going into my 11th season,” Fajardo said on The Elks This Week with Morley Scott. “He just needs the opportunity to be the guy and have that confidence and I think he has that this year. I really think the sky’s the limit for him.”
Fajardo has already restructured his contract to fit his new role and is excited to play alongside Ford, who is getting his first opportunity to begin a season as a starter. The Niagara Falls, Ont. native and 2021 Hec Crighton winner started five games and produced a 4-1 win-loss record in 2024. Ford completed 71.7 percent of his passes for 1,137 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing 23 times for 206 yards — 9.0 per carry — this past season.
“I reached out to him after I kind of got a deal done and just kind of said I’m excited for him and the year he’s going to have and I’m just here to support him in any way possible,” said Fajardo.
“Basically what I told him was it takes two great quarterbacks to win in this league and I know he wants to win more than anybody else as well. He’s been a part of this organization and he’s had some tough years — I think he wants to be part of that change. I said, ‘Look, you’re an incredibly talented quarterback.’ Watching him from the outside looking in, the things he does looks like you’re playing a video game. It would be fun to watch that first-hand from the sidelines and throughout training camp.”
Starting quarterbacks often transition into backup roles as they get older. However, it usually doesn’t happen while they’re still finding success, as Fajardo led his team to the CFL’s best regular-season record in 2024.
“Given the situation, I gotta be the best role model, I gotta be the best teammate, I gotta be the best cheerleader on the sideline that I can honestly be for this team,” Fajardo said.
“I wasn’t quite ready to hang it up or I wouldn’t have told Edmonton I’m good to go as a backup. I think I’ve still got some good football left in me, but I wanted to be a part of an organization that wanted me to be in their building and I felt that with Edmonton.”
Fajardo spent the past two seasons with the Alouettes, throwing for 6,952 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions and rushing 108 times for 618 yards and six scores. He helped lead the team to a Grey Cup victory in 2023 when he was named the Most Valuable Player of the CFL’s championship game but was
“That’s been the most frustrating thing about the entire situation for me, personally. I felt like the last couple of years, I’ve been playing the best football of my career,” Fajardo said. “They always talk about how quarterbacks are in their prime in their 30s and, sure enough, when I get to 32, I felt like my age was a factor because [Montreal] had a younger guy that they can commit to them for multiple years.”
“There’s obviously pros and cons to it. I think some of the pros of being a backup guy is your body doesn’t get beat up each and every week — I know I’m almost excited about that. But as a competitor, as a guy who’s done it the last six years as a starter, you want to be out there and you want to help any team win. You’ve got to find a way that when it’s your opportunity to shine, you have to go out and do it.”
Fajardo helped tutor his backup in Montreal, Davis Alexander, until the 26-year-old was ready for a larger role, winning all four starts he made last season. That led to a contract extension to make the youngster the face of the franchise and the decision to ship his veteran predecessor out of town, where he’ll serve as a full-time mentor.
“I’m excited about the role — I think it’s something different,” Fajardo said. “I coach quarterbacks in the off-season, I’ve been doing this the last 10 years in Reno, Nevada. It’s something that I find passion in. As something that I’ve done but not at the professional level, I think this will be a lot of fun for me just to help my teammates, help the quarterbacks and help this team win.”
“I think coming into this situation is going to keep me young because it’s going to keep me hungry, it’s going to keep me striving for something.”