Grey Cup Victory Changes Perception of Alouettes QB Cody Fajardo
Every quarterback, whether people like it or not, are defined by the amount of championships they win. For Montreal Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo, winning his first Grey Cup as a starting quarterback may change the way experts look upon his career.
His first Grey Cup victory came in 2017 as the backup for the Toronto Argonauts. Seven years later, he took the field as the starting quarterback throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns in their surprising 28-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup.
For the Grey Cup MVP, Fajardo’s mentality was to forget about the previous losses in the playoffs and make sure he got it done the third time.
"I thought about those two times and I said, the third time's got to be the charm," he said. "Thinking back to the 2019 West Final, hitting the crossbar, 2021, just, they made a great play breaking up the pass. And I just kept telling myself, third time's a charm."
After being a backup for three seasons, he got his first shot at starting in 2019 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders leading them to two Western Final appearances in 2019 and 2021, losing both. He finished 2022 with a losing record and would not return to the Roughriders.
Montreal head coach Jason Maas brought him in as his quarterback. Maas said Fajardo’s performance this season gave him the confidence he needed.
"I've always said it, you win a Grey Cup, it should give you a lot of confidence because it's hard to win. It's tough to win in this league," Maas said. "I don't think people understand how tough this is to win in this league and how much work it takes.”
Maas talked about Fajardo’s dedication to the team, arriving at the team facility for 21 straight weeks at 6 a.m. With his hard work and help from his teammates and coaches, Fajardo appreciates the journey he has been on since joining Montreal.
"It's an emotional roller coaster," he said. "But like I told you guys leading up to this week, I think that one of the biggest things I did this year that I'm very thankful for is going out and playing for the people that believed in me as opposed to the naysayers and the haters."
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.