The Montreal Alouettes’ off-season ultimately promises to be more hectic than expected. For the past 48 hours, a single question has monopolized the organization’s season report: who, Cody Fajardo or Davis Alexander, will occupy the position of the team’s starting quarterback in 2025?
Posted at 5:20 p.m.
“I can’t answer that question, to be honest with you,” head coach Jason Maas swore Tuesday in the basement of the Olympic Stadium. With a gun to my head, I wouldn’t know which one to choose. »
No one outside the walls of the organization expected a debate of this magnitude just three days after the defending champions were eliminated in the Eastern final.
But Cody Fajardo’s statements during his assessment the day before, combined with the many qualities of Davis Alexander put forward by Danny Maciocia, suggest that this debate could turn into controversy if the organization were to turn its back on Fajardo, a player par excellence of the last Gray Cup. There is only one season remaining on the 33-year-old quarterback’s contract.
Maciocia, sitting between Maas and team president Mark Weightman, expected to be grilled on the subject. He nevertheless managed to stir up speculation by praising Alexander, 26, who will benefit from complete autonomy during the winter.
“Three years ago he played an exhibition game and I knew the league had found a starting quarterback. When I talk about a guy like Davis Alexander and I’m referring to the fact that he’s a gamerthat’s it. It was visible at the very beginning. It showed at Portland State University, it showed when he set foot here. Was I surprised, when he was given the chance to go, that he was able to take his chance and deliver? No way. »
PHOTO RICH LAM, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Davis Alexander (10)
Division or competition?
“Our locker room is not divided,” however, assures Maas.
From his point of view, “there is a young quarterback who aspires to become a starter on one side, and on the other, a veteran who has been in the league for a long time. »
In 14 games this season, Fajardo completed 73.6% of his passes for 3,015 yards, in addition to recording 16 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Cody Fajardo (7)
On the other hand, Alexander completed 69.5% of his attempted passes for 1,347 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in four games.
Regarding the comparisons between Fajardo and Alexander, Maciocia expanded on his thoughts: “There is a seven-year gap between the two players. One is younger, less Magané and we must not forget that he is a player that we identified when he was at university, three years ago. We realize that he has good potential and he is already in our organization. Cody has a lot of experience, he knows how to win games and he was the Most Valuable Player at the Gray Cup last year. »
“We’re lucky,” said the general manager, because “it’s been I don’t know how long since the Alouettes had two starting quarterbacks.”
In an ideal world, Maciocia would secure the services of both quarterbacks for at least another season, but “if that option is not available, for several reasons, there will be a choice to be made.” Several factors will then determine the fate of the two quarterbacks. In fact, the general staff will make its decision only when it knows the answer to the following three questions:
What will Alexander’s salary requirements be? Would Fajardo agree to restructure his contract to make room on the payroll? And finally, is it possible to survive another season with two quarterbacks of this caliber, and eager to be starters, without imploding?
For the moment, Maciocia’s main issue concerns the value of the contracts. “You can’t have two players at starting salaries. It will be part of the conversations. I will have discussions with Jason. Afterwards, could we have both in our lineup next season? Yes. How ? We’re not there yet, but that’s what we’ll have to think about. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
General manager Danny Maciocia (right) said he would prefer to secure the services of both quarterbacks for at least another season, but “if that option is not available, for several reasons, there will be a choice to make.”
Alexander advantage?
Impossible, in our situation, to determine which of the two candidates in the running has the advantage in the minds of the Alouettes’ leaders. One thing is certain, Maciocia has never tried to hide his excitement about Alexander’s potential.
“He’s a player who can have a career of 8, 10 or 12 years if all goes well, if he stays healthy,” he noted.
He corrected himself, moments later, by saying that the horizon was in reality much more limited. “I learned in the Canadian League that you can’t plan for four or five years. It’s two years at a time, really. When people talk about the long term, it’s two years. This is our cycle. »
However, Maciocia remains impatient to know the intentions of his young quarterback. “The most important thing for Davis is that he feels good. How he sees all this, the next weeks, the next months, how he envisages 2025, what his family thinks of it. We will wait for more details. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Alouettes head coach Jason Maas
Never in two years has there been such controversy or debate in the “united” locker room of the Montreal Alouettes, as Maas once again called it. No one anticipated such a commotion. Especially from a team two points away from defending their champion title just three days ago.
