MONTREAL 鈥� There鈥檚 a saying in professional sports that head coaches want to win now, while general managers think about the future.
By choosing quarterback Davis Alexander over Cody Fajardo as the Montreal Alouettes starter, GM Danny Maciocia believes he鈥檚 killing two birds with one stone.
"I have to take care of the present but also the future,鈥� Maciocia said Thursday during a news conference at Olympic Stadium. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 miss a single practice 鈥� I watch every player, but I paid close attention to the quarterbacks because I knew I had a quarterback with one year left on his contract and a young quarterback we had trained and developed whose contract was expiring.
鈥淚 also knew it would be difficult to keep both.鈥�
Maciocia said he had been working on the decision for at least a month and a half, if not two months.
鈥淲ith all the information we鈥檝e gathered, based on (Alexander鈥檚) ability to perform and his future potential, it wasn鈥檛 an easy decision to make, but it was the right one for the organization,鈥� the GM said.
"As a former coach, I know how coaches want to win today. If I were coaching this team and Davis Alexander was the starting quarterback, I鈥檓 confident that we could win right away."
Head coach Jason Maas and Maciocia walked on eggshells around the QB controversy at the Alouettes鈥� end-of-season press conference earlier this month.
Contract discussions, however, were clearly brief as Alexander received a three-year offer reportedly worth around $1 million, according to several media outlets.
Maciocia didn鈥檛 confirm the figure but described the contract as a "bridge deal" with several performance bonuses.
鈥淲e agreed that the time had come to give him the opportunity to be a starter for the coming years. I鈥檓 convinced that Davis is the present and the future of the Alouettes,鈥� Maciocia said. "I don鈥檛 need to remind you of the history and everything we鈥檝e experienced at the QB position since Anthony Calvillo retired. To finally identify someone, convince him to come to Montreal, and sign him for three years 鈥� especially given what he showed in his four starts last year 鈥� I鈥檓 more than confident we can build something exciting around him.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檙e building for 2027, we鈥檙e going to be very competitive in 2025, 2026, and 2027."
Maciocia ultimately opted for a long-term view, choosing a quarterback who鈥檚 seven years younger, in better health and willing to commit for a longer period than Fajardo, who led the Alouettes to a Grey Cup last year.
Maciocia noted that Fajardo now approaches his career "one year at a time."
When Alexander鈥檚 agent contacted him at home in Kelowna, B.C., to confirm the Alouettes鈥� offer, he quickly reached out to his loved ones to share the good news. One key figure in his inner circle, however, was absent: his father, who passed away from cancer this fall.
The 26-year-old quarterback was emotional when a reporter asked him how he experienced the milestone without his first and greatest supporter.
鈥淲hen I signed here in February 2022, I believe, I was training for a pro day, I鈥檓 in Seattle staying at my uncle鈥檚 place, he kind of took me in and let me borrow the car, all that type of stuff, paid for all my food,鈥� he said. 鈥淒uring that time it鈥檚 really intense, you鈥檙e fighting for your career, so you train eight to nine hours a day.
鈥淲hen I finally got the call from (my agent) and I got the contract in my email, I just remember tears in my eyes and first person I called was my dad. That was a pretty special moment for us, something I鈥檒l never forget.鈥�
When he received the news of his most recent contract on Monday, he shared it with the rest of his family.
鈥淭his time around 鈥� I kind of had that same feeling, tears in your eyes, extremely proud. Obviously a little different this time around, but I have the greatest support system in the world around me,鈥� an emotional Alexander continued with tears running down his face. 鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 not necessarily with me, I know he鈥檚 obviously still with me forever. I know he鈥檚 extremely proud and I definitely wouldn鈥檛 have been able to make it this far without him.鈥�
As for Fajardo, who's signed through next season but could be released, Maciocia said the Alouettes would do what's best for their now-former starter in the coming days.
"I will always be grateful to him, and that鈥檚 why I want to do everything I can to help him 鈥� even if it鈥檚 not in the best interest of the Alouettes," Maciocia said. "He says he still sees himself as a No. 1 quarterback in this league, and I believe that too. Unfortunately, there are only nine teams in this league.
"If an opportunity doesn鈥檛 present itself, we鈥檒l need to have another conversation. But we haven鈥檛 discussed restructuring his contract or anything else beyond wanting to do what鈥檚 best for his future."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.
Fr茅d茅ric Daigle, The Canadian Press
