Murray Wood: Who's scary... and who's scary good?
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week, in a specia...
Cody Fajardo is reportedly heading east in what is shaping up to be a free-agency quarterback swap.
TSN’s Farhan Lalji is reporting the 30-year-old Fajardo is expected to leave the Saskatchewan Roughriders and sign with the Montreal Alouettes once CFL free agency begins next Tuesday.
CFL teams have been able to negotiate with pending free agents since last Sunday. That negotiating period ends this Sunday.
The news of Fajardo’s likely departure comes after a report earlier in the week that quarterback Trevor Harris is expected to leave Montreal and sign with the Roughriders.
Sounds very likely that Cody Fajardo is going to be headed to @MTLAlouettes once the team is in position to sign off on a deal. @CFLonTSN #RiderNation @tsn690 pic.twitter.com/bshOCD74xY
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) February 9, 2023
After Saskatchewan went 6-12-0 in 2022 and missed the playoffs, Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day admitted changes would be coming.
In three seasons as the Riders’ starter, Fajardo threw for 10,632 yards, with 48 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.
Fajardo, who suffered an MCL sprain in Week 2 of the 2022 season, was under pressure most of the season as the Riders gave up a CFL-high 77 sacks. Fajardo was the starter for a majority of the season — he missed one game due to COVID — but was relegated to the backup role for the final two games of the season.
If he does in fact sign with Montreal, Fajardo will be reunited with Jason Maas. The former Roughriders offensive co-ordinator is now the Als’ head coach.
Harris, who is a 12-season CFL veteran, has dressed for 161 games in his career, throwing for 28,610 yards, with 154 touchdowns and 71 interceptions.
The 36-year-old Harris dressed for 18 games for the Als in 2022, throwing for 4,157 yards with 20 TDs and 12 picks.
Harris is one of a number of Alouettes who appear to be leaving the Montreal franchise due to ongoing ownership issues. Reports are slotback Jake Wieneke also is expected to sign with Saskatchewan on Tuesday.
