Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo (7) runs with the ball as he's pursued by B.C. Lions' Jonah Tavai (99) and Josh Woods (2) during the first half of a CFL football game, in Vancouver, on Friday, October 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

By The Canadian Press

Elks ‘optimistic’ about their future despite missing playoffs

Oct 25, 2025 | 5:40 PM

EDMONTON — There are plenty of decisions to be made for the Edmonton Elks heading into another early off-season, but perhaps none more important than that concerning quarterbacks.

Can the CFL team reach agreement with veteran Cody Fajardo, who engineered their strong second-half showing? And, if so, what’s the future for Tre Ford? One thing that appeared certain Saturday as the players cleaned out of their lockers, had post-season meetings and said their goodbyes, was that Fajardo wants to be the team’s quarterback in 2026.

“If I play football next year it will be here,” said the 33-year-old who had signed a one-year contract after being traded from Montreal last January. “If everything goes as I would like it to go, and as expected, I would love nothing more that to wear the green and gold again.

“To be the starting quarterback of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 and to be a quarterback who can take this team to the playoffs, I would love nothing more that.”

Whether he’ll be given that opportunity remains to be seen. Although both head coach Mark Kilam and general manager Ed Hervey expressed their desire to have Fajardo return, contract talks haven’t begun.

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“Of course we would love to have Cody back,” Hervey told a media scrum. “But I would also like to say that the roster still has work, we still have areas we need to address. We will address those and we would love for Cody to be a part of that, but not at the sacrifice of continuing to build the roster.”

Saying he sees Fajardo as an important part of the roster, Hervey said he’s sure an agreement can be reached on a new deal.

“I’m sure if we were to start talking Monday, I would assume we would get something done in a short amount of time. Once Cody and I have a chance to talk and really hone in on his future I don’t see any reason why we can’t make that happen.”

Kilam said Fajardo changed the trajectory of the team once he took over the starting role from Ford with the Elks at 1-4. The team finished with a 7-11 record.

“He raised the level of play of everyone around him,” said Kilam. “He raised the level of the execution of the offence. And he gave our football team belief at a critical time of the year.

“I really resonate with him as a human, I think the team feeds off that he has a chip on his shoulder when he takes the field.”

As for Ford, Hervey said it will be a major discussion in the future weeks.

“We have to evaluate whether or not the fit is right for us,” said Hervey. “Considering we’re talking about Cody on one hand and keeping (Ford), something has to give. This is the reality of the football business.

“Everything we’re doing is with the intent of winning. I know how (Ford) is beloved, but we have to look at the overall roster and how to make it better and sometimes unpopular decisions are made.”

Although it was another failed season on the field, Hervey said he felt good about the direction the team is headed.

“There were some challenges at the start, but again, those were things you anticipate when you turn over the roster. We started to see things turn as the guys started believing in one another and became a team. That’s what I’m most optimistic about.”

Kilam said he was proud of the growth of the team through the season as new players were fit into the roster and the club dealt with a number of injuries to key players.

Although the Elks fell short of making the playoffs, Kilam said they did establish their identity.

“The back half of the season showed that. We found a formula that was winning for us. I think we established who we want to be. I think the foundation is in place to be able to build on it next year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2025.

John Korobanik, The Canadian Press