Fajardo has been dealing with a left shoulder injury, which he says has distracted him enough to not build this game up too big.
Taylor Shire, Regina Leader-Post
Cody Fajardo has been dealing with a distraction as he gets set to face his former team for the first time.
The Montreal Alouettes quarterback, who spent three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has been dealing with a left shoulder injury this week ahead of the first meeting of the season between the two teams on Friday (5:30 p.m., TSN) in Week 10 of the CFL season.
“It’s almost been a little bit of a distraction for me from building this up a little bit bigger in my mind,” Fajardo said in a phone interview with the Leader-Post on Thursday.
“I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure I’m healthy enough, to make sure I prove to the doctors, the coaches (and) to my players that I can go.”
Fajardo has been listed as a “game-time decision” for Friday, but says if it were up to him, he will be playing.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve made it known that I’ll play through just about anything,” he said.
“There’s still a couple hurdles I’ve got to overcome on game day and if I pass those hurdles, I can get that green light to start.”
And while it’s being called a “left shoulder” injury on the CFL’s injury report, Fajardo didn’t want to go into specifics about what is ailing him, considering what he went through last year when he dealt with a knee injury as a member of the Riders.
“What I dealt with last year, everybody became a professional on my knee,” said Fajardo. “So, I think we’re going to be a little bit more close to the cards this year just so I don’t get the same questions.
“It’s just an upper-body injury.”
If he does play, the 31-year-old says he’s excited to go up against former teammates. Fajardo first joined the Riders in 2019 and went on to become the starting quarterback in Week 2 after an injury to Zach Collaros. That season, Fajardo went on to be named the West Division’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player, while leading the team to a West Final appearance.
He started 28 games for Saskatchewan in 2021 and 2022 but was benched for the final two games of the season last year. He then elected to sign with Montreal in free agency this off-season.
“I think every week my motivation is to prove all the doubters wrong,” said Fajardo, who had a 27-17 record as a starter with the Riders, throwing for more than 10,000 yards.
“That’s my goal is to go out there and just continue prove to not only people in Sask., but everybody around the league, that last year was an odd year, a fluky year, didn’t play my best ball and now I’m back and here trying to win some football games.”
And one of the main reasons Fajardo signed in Montreal was to re-join current Alouettes head coach Jason Maas, who spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator in Saskatchewan with Fajardo, before being let go this off-season.
“We went through a lot last year and a lot of things were said about us,” said Fajardo, who has led Montreal to a 4-3 record this season. “We knew we had a lot more in the tank.
“I think that was what was most enticing to me in free agency, knowing that I would get to play under him again and just be able to right all my wrongs and put our best foot forward.
“Having this opportunity here has been a breath of fresh air.”
On facing Fajardo
On the other side of the ball, Fajardo was benched last season in favour of Mason Fine, who is slated to get his fourth start of the season on Friday for Saskatchewan in place of the injured Trevor Harris.
And looking back on last season, Fine said Fajardo was supportive throughout the whole process.
“I think it went better than what people probably would expect in that situation,” Fine said this week. “In his situation, I’m sure he was upset but in the same way, he was able to be a professional and try and make me the best quarterback I could be.
“It was all about the team and how we can be successful.”
The two quarterbacks built a strong bond over the two seasons spent together and still remain good friends, talking and texting regularly leading up to this week’s matchup.
“We talk almost after every game,” said Fine. “We’ve been joking around about this week.
“It’s going to be a fun time.”
