Bethel-Thompson under pressure as Alouettes host Elks in Fajardo’s return

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MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes acquired McLeod Bethel-Thompson from the Edmonton Elks in exchange for Cody Fajardo as an insurance policy in case Davis Alexander got injured.

One could say the Alouettes have paid the premiums, but so far haven’t been able to collect on their claims.

The veteran quarterback for the 5-3 Alouettes hasn’t delivered in relief of Alexander, who’s sidelined for a second time this season with a hamstring injury. And Friday’s matchup against the 1-6 Elks — and Fajardo, now starting ahead of Tre Ford — may end up being Bethel-Thompson’s final audition.

“I’m not thinking about that and I don’t think he is either,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. “He’s not 22 years old, he is older in his career. There’s more years behind him than probably ahead of him, and that’s the same with anybody that’s that age. But when you’ve played this long, you’ve done it by basically every single day bringing it, and that is what he’s continued to do.

“But ultimately, pro sports is about producing, and that’s what you’ve got to be able to do to stay where you are. I know that’s his goal, and that’s what our goal is.”

Bethel-Thompson has started four games this season, with the Alouettes going 1-3 in those contests. He’s appeared in eight games overall, completing 90 of 138 passes (65.2 per cent) for 878 yards, with four touchdown passes and four interceptions.

“Yeah, of course (it’s an important game). Important game for everybody. After that performance last week, definitely want to bounce back and have a better performance,” Bethel-Thompson said. “Looking forward to playing well, playing smooth and protecting the ball.”

In a 34-6 blowout loss against the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, Bethel-Thompson threw for only 126 yards, completing 15 of 26 passes with one interception.

Should Bethel-Thompson struggle again during the first half Friday, Maas confirmed he would once again turn to Caleb Evans, even though Evans isn’t known for his passing ability. James Morgan, who has yet to log any official CFL stats, would not be Maas’s first choice in that scenario.

“I can assure you that it’ll be Caleb Evans that will go in next. But I don’t want to think about those things. Those are decisions that get made during the game, not before the game,” Maas said. “I’m a pretty positive thinker, so starting to think of our second and third quarterback playing, I’m not thinking that way.”

Fajardo returns

On the other side of the ball, the Alouettes’ defence will face a familiar opponent in Fajardo, who’s started the past two games for Edmonton.

In a tough decision, the Alouettes traded Fajardo last off-season to retain Alexander, who signed a contract extension after developing with the franchise for the past four years.

No doubt, Fajardo will be looking to make the most of this start against his former team — the franchise that, in many ways, helped revive his CFL career with a Grey Cup title in 2023.

“I would be lying to you if I said some games don’t mean a little bit more, and this game means a little bit more, and I’m not afraid or shy to say it,” Fajardo told reporters in Edmonton this week. “I think Montreal did more for me and my career than I ever did for Montreal. Giving me the opportunity to be a starter in this league again, giving me the opportunity to win a Grey Cup with a talented team, last year being the best team in the CFL and going to the East final, they validated some things in my career.

“There’s no hard feelings, no love lost, it was business in the off-season, which I totally understand, but as an athlete, you always get excited about playing opportunities where you kind of got shipped out.”

Maas expects to see that extra motivation on display from his former QB.

“I know it’ll be a special game for him,” Maas said. “I know he’ll bring it, and he’s going to be excited to play here, and should be. I mean there’s very fond memories here, and then there’s obviously a chip on his shoulder. And any time he has that chip on the shoulder, he tends to play very well, and it’s our jobs to make that not the case.”

In other news, the Alouettes confirmed Thursday that newly signed defensive back Ciante Evans, who joined the team on Tuesday, will start at left corner. He’ll be backed up by Don Callis, who will be making his CFL debut after also signing with Montreal on Tuesday.

The Alouettes enter their second bye week of the season after Friday’s game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2025.