REGINA — After a week of speculation, the Edmonton Elks have confirmed that quarterback Cody Fajardo will have a homecoming of sorts against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday in Regina.
Fajardo, who was dealt to Edmonton by Montreal in the off-season, played three seasons for the Riders before signing with the Alouettes prior to the 2023 CFL season.
Fajardo went on to lead the Als to a 26-24 victory over the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2023 Grey Cup game, being named game MVP after completing 21-of-26 passes for 290 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
In the first five games of the season, Fajardo has served as backup to Tre Ford. Both quarterbacks shared first team reps during practice this week with Elks head coach Mark Killam being coy about who would start against the Riders.
"You’re just going to have to wait until we release the depth chart," Killam said during a media scrum on Tuesday.
On Thursday morning, the Elks sent out their depth chart for Friday with Fajardo pencilled in as the starter. Having also played for the Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions, this will be Fajardo’s first start ever against the Riders.
Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace had a sharp answer when he was asked Thursday if he cared who the Elks were going to start at quarterback.
"We always care, but it just kind of narrows the focus a little bit," he said. "It’ll be another night of preparation for the guys to narrow in. Now with that being said, you still could see both . . . . We were preparing for both but certainly there will be a little heavier emphasis now on Cody."
In his three seasons with Saskatchewan, Fajardo had a record of 27-17 as starter, totalling 11,046 passing yards with 53 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. After two seasons with the Alouettes, he was dealt to the Elks for McLeod Bethel-Thompson, with Davis Alexander replacing Fajardo as Montreal’s starting quarterback.
Earlier this week Fajardo told reporters what he thought the Elks need to do to be successful on offence.
“We’ve got to stay on the field, second down conversions, a lot of people are talking about it," he said. "The second thing is that narratives don't win football games, and they don't lose football games so everybody can write whatever they want."
Fajardo took over from Ford in the fourth quarter against the B.C. Lions on July 13, finishing five of seven passing for 78 yards and one touchdown in a 32-14 loss.
Mace, who signed on as Saskatchewan’s head coach in 2024, is familiar with Fajardo. In 2021, as a coach with the Calgary Stampeders, Mace’s defence faced Fajardo in three games.
Yet Mace explained that preparation is more about the present than the past.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be careful just looking at players as who they've always been. You kind of want to look at who they are current day," he said.
"He's a heck of a quarterback, so we’ve got to be on our P's and Q's defensively to make sure we make it as tough as day possible on him," Mace added.
The Riders have come out of the starting game hot while the Elks have struggled. Yet the Riders know firsthand what can happen when a team underestimates an opponent.
The Elks came into Regina last season with an 0-7 record while the Riders had a 5-2 mark, but the Elks posted a 42-31 victory with Ford passing for 250 yards and Javon Leake rushing for 169 yards and three touchdowns.
Linebacker Jameer Thurman says the Riders will not be taking the Elks lightly on Friday.
“I don't think we're underestimating them," he said. "If you remember, last year they came in here and they got their first win of the season against us. So, I made sure to let all the guys know what happened last time they came here, and they ran the ball all over us as well.
"So, we are dialed in on that, and we're not taking anybody for granted."
EDMONTON ELKS (1-4-0) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (5-1-0)
Friday at Mosaic Stadium
HARRIS IS HOT: Riders quarterback Trevor Harris set a CFL record in a win over B.C. last week with his ninth consecutive game with a completion rate of 70 per cent or higher. He currently leads the league with a completion percentage of 76 per cent.
LEAKE IS SPECIAL: Leake leads the CFL in punt return yards (288), average (16.9 yards) and returns of 30-plus yards at three. Leake has one punt return for a TD this season, going 94 yards against the Ottawa Redblacks on July 6.
MEYERS MAKING A MARK: Riders receiver Dohnte Meyers has 394 yards receiving with four catches of 30-plus yards. In last week’s 33-27 victory over the B.C. Lions, Meyers caught seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, including a 50-yard TD on Saskatchewan’s opening drive of the game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press
