Photo courtesy: Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella

Time has allowed Cody Fajardo to gain a unique perspective about his days as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback.

“I became the man I am today because of the years I spent in Sask. That’s something I’ll forever be thankful and grateful for. As hard as it was at times, we went to back-to-back West Finals, and it still felt like I was doing something wrong. Then we missed the playoffs and that was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back in 2022,” Fajardo said.

“But I wouldn’t be the man I am today, I wouldn’t be the quarterback I am today if it wasn’t for my years in Sask. The two years I spent in Montreal helped me mature a whole lot better as well. I got older, I had two kids along the way. Perspective of life is a little bit different when you start having kids, and it’s not so football-focused.”

Fajardo signed a one-year contract with the Riders in February 2019 as a backup behind incumbent starter Zach Collaros. Three plays into the CFL season-opener that year, Collaros took a head shot from Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence, which knocked him out of the game and he never took another snap for Saskatchewan.

The injury thrust Fajardo into action and he put together a West Division Most Outstanding Player season. He completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,302 yards with 18 touchdowns against eight interceptions and added 107 rushes for 611 plus 10 majors. The six-foot-one, 215-pound QB went 12-4 as a starter and led the Roughriders to an appearance in the West Final.

“When I was in Sask, it was so football-focused because I was in the fishbowl. It was just me and my wife and all we focused on was football, football, football. It got a little overwhelming at times,” Fajardo said.

“Sometimes my immaturity led to some things that I’ve said in the media or some of the actions that I did in a game that I look back on and I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I’m not the same person and I never want to be that person.’ I wouldn’t be the man I am today without Sask.”

During the COVID-shortened season in 2021, Fajardo completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,970 with 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and added 78 rushes for 468 yards plus four majors. He produced a 9-4 win-loss record and led the Green and White to the West Final for a second straight season.

In 2022, Fajardo completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 3,360 with 16 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and added 81 rushes for 357 yards plus eight majors. He posted a 6-9 win-loss record and Mason Fine took over for him as QB1 late in the season. Saskatchewan missed the playoffs with a 6-12 record, which led to Fajardo’s contract not being renewed and him signing with the Alouettes.

“Getting placed in Sask for my first years as a franchise guy is a reason why I believe I’m a Grey Cup champion standing here and an MVP in a Grey Cup because of those lifelong lessons and some of those hard times that I had to figure out what life was about,” Fajardo said.

“It’s not all about football, there’s more to life than just football. When I had that ease of not putting so much pressure on myself, I found myself enjoying the game more, which allowed me to play better. That’s why you’ve seen over the course of the last three years that I’ve played have been some of the best numbers of my career.”

Fajardo led Montreal to a dramatic 28-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup. He threw a strike to Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot for a 19-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left, which won the CFL championship for the Als. The veteran earned game MVP honours.

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Through six games in 2024, Fajardo was playing at a CFL MOP level until he suffered a right hamstring injury late in Week 6 against the Toronto Argonauts. That led to Davis Alexander emerging and ultimately being chosen as the franchise QB in La Belle Province. The University of Nevada graduate signed with Edmonton as a backup in 2025 and took over the starting role from Tre Ford.

“My trajectory has continued to go up and up and up, and that’s because I play for my family. I don’t know how many more years I have left, so I take it one year at a time and I enjoy every single minute that I have,” Fajardo said.

The Elks hope Fajardo’s Jesus sprinkles and passionate speeches can lead the Green and Gold out of last place in the West Division. If the 33-year-old has real Grey Cup aspirations, No. 7 will have to go through the reigning champion Riders, the same team who he credits for turning him into the man and QB he is today.