Cody Fajardo can see both sides of the story.
On one hand, the quarterback understands why the Montreal Alouettes traded him to the Edmonton Elks for fellow pivot McLeod Bethel-Thompson last off-season.
On the other hand, he’d like nothing more than to show the Als they made a bad decision in cutting ties with their 2023 Grey Cup-winning QB.
After both quarterbacks opened the year as backups to younger players, Fajardo and Bethel-Thompson have been pressed into starting duty for different reasons. They’re expected to square off Friday when the Als (5-3) host the Elks (1-6).
“I would lie to you if I said some games don’t mean a little bit more,” Fajardo told reporters this week. “This game means a little bit more. I’m not afraid or shy to say it. Any time you face your former club, you want to go out and perform well.
“We’re in a bit of a desperation (mode), got to win now. It doesn’t matter who it was. I want to get my first win as a starting QB for the Elks. No better opportunity than against a really tough Montreal team.”
While Fajardo guided the Als to the championship in 2023 and was the starter for a first-place team last year, Montreal was upset in the East final by the Toronto Argonauts. It was also a year in which Davis Alexander, 26, went 4-0 while Fajardo, 33, was injured.
In the off-season, the Als decided to hand the reins to Alexander, making Fajardo expendable.
The Elks, with a new head coach (Mark Kilam) and GM (Ed Hervey), saw Fajardo as a good veteran presence to serve as No. 2 on the depth chart behind Tre Ford. But with the young Canadian struggling, the Elks made a QB switch two games ago.
The Elks are 0-2 with Fajardo as a starter, but both have been one-score games against the league’s top teams — the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Fajardo has played well, completing 46 of 58 passes for 603 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. His willingness to hang in the pocket was especially impressive against the Roughriders, who manhandled the Elks’ offensive line and sacked Fajardo eight times.
“It’s process through pain is what we’re going through right now and learning through pain,” Fajardo said. “We’re kind of at a fork in the road right now, We can either go one way — stay positive, keep grinding, know we’re close, we just took two of the best teams in the league to a one-possession game — or we can just go the other way (and think) ‘you know what the season’s out of reach.’ I’m not getting any of that second part in the locker room.”
It’s not the first time Fajardo has tried to write a redemption story. He lost the starting job in Saskatchewan in 2022 and the Roughriders allowed him to walk in free agency before he signed with the Als.
Fajardo did plenty of good things in Montreal, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Alexander.
“I think Montreal did more for me and my career than I ever did for Montreal,” Fajardo said. “Giving me the opportunity to be a starter in this league again, giving me the opportunity to win a Grey Cup with a talented team, and last year being the best team in the CFL and going to the East final. They validated some things in my career and I wouldn’t be able to call myself a Grey Cup champion if it wasn’t for my journey with the Alouettes.
“There’s no hard feelings … it was business in the off-season, which I totally understand. But as an athlete, you always get excited about playing opportunities (against teams) where you kind of got shipped out.”
Meanwhile, Bethel-Thompson is in the starter’s role because of a hamstring injury to Alexander, who is 8-0 as a starter.
The Als are 1-3 with Bethel-Thompson, 37, at the helm and were throttled 34-6 by visiting Saskatchewan last week.
“I know that was not who I was out there,” Bethel-Thompson said, per the Montreal Gazette. “I can play much better. I don’t worry about that. We played absolutely terrible, myself included. That was a bad performance. It can’t happen.
“A game like this tests your manhood. That was a gut-check for sure. That was an embarrassing performance.”
Winnipeg Blue Bombers star quarterback Zach Collaros will return from a neck injury Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders, and the team has to hope his presence re-establishes its usual dominance.
The Blue Bombers snapped a three-game skid with a 40-31 win over the visiting Toronto Argonauts last week in a game highlighted by two kick-return TDs from Trey Vaval. The special-teams wizardry was spectacular, but the offence has been a concern. The Blue Bombers are tied for last in the league with 15 touchdowns on offence this season and have committed a CFL-high 25 turnovers.
Collaros aggravated a lingering neck injury the previous week in Toronto and was replaced by Chris Streveler at halftime.
“It was my decision to play in that Toronto game, probably rushed it back there,” Collaros said.
Stamps starting QB Vernon Adams Jr. is also expected to return for the battle of second in the West after missing last week’s loss to the Ottawa Redblacks with a head injury.
It’s going to be a special night in Hamilton regardless of whether the Tiger-Cats win or lose on Thursday, but a victory will add to the celebratory feel of the occasion nonetheless.
It’s Shai Rally Day in the Hammer, with the city honouring Hamilton-raised NBA MVP and champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before and during the game. Legendary offensive lineman Miles Gorrell will also go on the Wall of Honour, becoming the 27th player to receive the Ticats’ top honour.
Meanwhile, the current Ticats have won six in a row heading into the game against the B.C. Lions. You have to go way back to 1972, a Grey Cup championship season, to find the last time a Hamilton team won seven in a row.
Thursday, Aug. 7: B.C. Lions (3-5) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Aug. 8: Edmonton Elks (1-6) at Montreal Alouettes (5-3), 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 9: Ottawa Redblacks (2-6) at Toronto Argonauts (2-6), 3 p.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 9: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-3) at Calgary Stampeders (5-3), 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT