Former Nevada QB Cody Fajardo talks about Canadian football, Wolf Pack coaching change

A little over a month removed from winning the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup — and being named the game’s MVP — Cody Fajardo is still a bit overwhelmed with friends, fans and family offering congratulations and blowing up up his phone.

Fajarado, who starred at quarterback for the Nevada football team, is now the quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes; he helped guide to the 2023 CFL title on a last-minute drive that earned him MVP honors. The 28-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (and fellow Pack alum Brendan O’Leary-Orange) secured Montreal’s first Grey Cup win since 2010.

He spoke with the RGJ earlier this week.

Fajardo’s contract status with Montreal

Fajardo, 31, was rewarded with a one-year contract extension through 2025, and is now back in Reno for several months. The CFL season starts up again in May.

Fajardo said CFL teams do not like having their team franchise quarterbacks playing with contract uncertainty, so they extended his deal now instead of waiting.

“If you get an injury or something like that, in a contract year, it’s always kind of scary,” he said of being in the final year of his contract. “But if you have another year, you know you can play a little bit more free.”

He plans to spend the next five months with his 14-month old son, Luca. He will also train young quarterbacks in the area, as he has done for several years.

Cody’s comeback season with the Alouettes

A year ago, Fajardo was contemplating retiring after a three-team, seven-season stretch in the CFL. He was a free agent after spending four years with Saskatchewan.

Montreal offered Fajardo a two-year deal, which no other team matched. The Alouettes were picked to finish ninth in the nine-team CFL in a preseason poll, which was a little extra motivation for him and his new teammates.

“All throughout the playoffs, people still didn’t believe we could do it,” Fajardo said. “We were that Cinderella, dark-horse story. Everyone loves a good underdog, so when we got to the Grey Cup, we were the fan favorite, but the media still wasn’t believing we were going to pull it off.”

He said winning the championship almost felt like a movie.

Playing football in his backyard as child and imagining being in championship scenarios paid off in the championship game.

“It kind of calmed me, like, ‘I’ve been here before,’ even though I never have,” Fajarado said.

Thoughts on Wilson, Choate and the Wolf Pack

Fajardo tries to keep up with the Wolf Pack football team, but admitted it can be difficult since Montreal is in the east and many Nevada football games are at night.

“It’s been some tough years, but obviously what Coach Wilson inherited wasn’t the best situation and letting him go recently is never a thing you want to see in your program,” Fajardo said, “where it’s just change after change after change, because it’s hard to build stability.”

Wilson was fired Dec. 1 and Jeff Choate was named to replace him on Dec. 4.

Fajardo said he has heard good things in the football world about Choate.

“He sounds like the guy who is ready for this job and is somebody who will bring the excitement,” Fajardo said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things from guys who have crossed paths with him in the football world.”

The past season was Fajardo’s seventh in the CFL. He played in all 18 games last season and completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 3,847 yards, the second most of his CFL career, with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He rushed for 341 yards and three scores.