Alouettes have excellent depth at quarterback

Montreal, February 14, 2023 – The Montreal Alouettes opened free agency by signing quarterbacks Cody Fajardo and Caleb Evans to two-year deals, while extending Davis Alexander’s contract until 2024.

Fajardo (6’2”, 223 lbs.) led the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup championship in 2017, in only his second season in the CFL. He would lead his team to the championship game in the East Final by scoring the winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining in the game.

In 2022, with Jason Maas as his offensive coordinator, the University of Nevada Wolf Pack alum completed 282 of his 401 passes for 3,360 yards and 16 touchdowns in 17 games. On the ground, he rushed for 357 yards and eight majors on 81 carries.

“Cody has shown great things since the beginning of his career. Jason Maas knows him very well and is very comfortable having him run our offence,” said Alouettes General Manager Danny Maciocia. “Cody is a leader of men and has always had the respect of his teammates in the locker room. Having won a Grey Cup in the past, he knows what it takes to win.”

In 2018, the 30-year-old quarterback played with the BC Lions before suiting up with the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2019 to 2022. In his first season in the Prairies, he was named to the CFL All-Star team with an outstanding season of 4,302 passing yards and 18 touchdowns on 338 completions in 473 attempts. That same year, he ran for 611 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.

In 92 CFL career games, the Brea, CA native amassed 11,046 passing yards, completing 944 of 1,346 attempts, while scoring 53 majors. In 2015, he was with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. He signed a two-year deal with Montreal.

Evans (6’2″, 210 lbs) cumulated 1,301 passing yards, completing 114 of his 185 attempts and scoring four touchdowns last season with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. The former Louisiana Monroe University Warhawks standout, who played in all of his team’s games, added 354 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 88 carries.

The Mansfield, Texas native appeared in 43 games in four seasons with the Warhawks, including 39 starts. He amassed 9,523 passing yards, throwing 58 touchdown passes and a 60.5 completion percentage and a 134 quarterback rating.

“Caleb has experience in this league and has demonstrated a lot of potential,” said Maciocia. “We look forward to working with him and helping his development.”

Alexander (6’0″, 195 lbs.) saw some action in the Alouettes 2022 regular season finale, completing eight of his 13 passes for 89 yards, while keeping the ball on five occasions for 22 rushing yards and one touchdown. During the team’s two pre-season games, the 24-year-old pivot completed 20 of his 27 passes for 229 yards, while adding a rushing touchdown.

He completed his collegiate career second all-time with the Portland State University Vikings with 10,473 total offensive yards, 9,215 passing yards and 63 touchdown passes. He was voted to the All-Big Sky Team in 2021 after completing 266 of his 433 passes for 3,075 yards and 21 touchdowns.