MONTREAL — Cody Fajardo has a new CFL home.
The veteran quarterback signed a two-year deal with the Montreal Alouettes on Tuesday, the first day of CFL free agency.
The move wasn't a surprise as former Alouettes quarterback Trevor Harris agreed to a deal last week with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Fajardo's former team.
The 30-year-old Fajardo spent the past three seasons with Saskatchewan, leading the Riders to the West Division final in 2019 and '21. Montreal also secured him a reliable receiver as a CFL source said the Alouettes also signed veteran Greg Ellingson to a one-year deal Tuesday.
Fajardo threw for 3,360 yards last season in 17 regular-season games, which he played with a persistent knee ailment. Fajardo had 16 touchdown strikes but also threw a career-high 13 interceptions.
Fajardo also ran for 357 yards and eight TDs in 2022. The Riders allowed a CFL-high 77 sacks last season.
Montreal also signed American quarterback Caleb Evans, who spent the last two seasons with Ottawa. The six-foot-two, 210-pound Evans completed 114-of-185 (61.6 per cent) passes for 1,301 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2022 while rushing 88 times for 354 yards and 16 TDs, the most in a season by a quarterback in CFL history.
Ellingson, 34, had 38 catches for 598 yards and three TDs in eight regular-season games last year with Winnipeg. The six-foot-three, 211-pound American has cracked the 1,000-yard plateau five times during his nine-year CFL tenure.
Ellingson has 587 catches for 8,550 yards and 45 TDs in 125 career regular-season games with Hamilton, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Montreal also shored up its Canadian content, signing long-snapper Louis-Philippe Bourassa, offensive lineman Justin Lawrence and fullback James Tuck.
The six-foot-two, 232-pound Bourassa, of Shawinigan, Que., spent the past five seasons with Ottawa. The 31-year-old appeared in 75 career regular-season contests with the Redblacks and won a Vanier Cup title at Montreal with Alouettes GM Danny Maciocia as head coach.
The six-foot-one, 310-pound Lawrence was a Grey Cup champion last season with the Toronto Argonauts. The 26-year-old Edmonton native started 17-of-18 regular-season contests in 2022. Tuck, 32, of Aurora, Ont., returns to Montreal, where he spent his first three CFL seasons (2014-16). The six-foot, 230-pound fullback has registered 53 special-teams tackles in 87 career regular-season contests while adding seven receptions for 83 yards.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2023.
The Canadian Press
