Cody Fajardo said his contract will be included in the rankings lower limit among CFL starting defensemenand the numbers back it up.
The six-foot-one, 215-pound QB receives a $190,000 signing bonus to sign his one-year extension with the Elks. His base salary is $135,080, with $35,000 in marketing, $20,000 in travel allowance and $15,420 in housing, which equates to $395,500 in hard money.
Fajardo also has $52,000 in incentives, which could bring his maximum salary to $447,500 in 2026. The active roster addition pays $1,111.11 per game ($20,000 total), a $10,000 bonus if he reaches 4,300 all-purpose yards, a $10,000 bonus if he reaches 25 touchdowns, a $7,000 bonus if he finishes in the top four in CFL passing yards, and a $5,000 bonus if he named CFL Most Outstanding Player.
In 2025, the 33-year-old earned $180,000 in hard money as a bench player, plus $46,000 in bonus money when he took the field for a total of $226,000. After he accepted Salaries were cut by $200,000 last offseasonThe No. 7 pick has a chance to bring him back and then enter 2026 as the undisputed starter in Edmonton.
When Fajardo was QB1 in Montreal, he earned over $400,000 in 2023 And 2024. He used his financial data from those seasons to negotiate with general manager Ed Hervey as the Alouettes were able to win their 110th Gray Cup and post a CFL-best record of 12-5-1 the following year.
Fajardo is behind BC Nathan RourkeToronto Chad KellyWinnipeg Zach CollarosCalgary Vernon Adams Jr.Beau Levi Mitchell from Hamilton, Ottawa Drew Brown and Saskatchewan Trevor Harris among starting defensive backs receiving financial compensation in 2026. Its most profitable season came in 2022when he earned $481,000 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
In 13 starts for the Elks last season, Fajardo posted a 6-7 win-loss record. He brought veteran energy and leadership to the team after a 1-4 start under Canadian Tre Ford. The six-foot-one, 215-pound cornerback completed 73.2 percent of his passes for 3,408 yards with 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions and ran 55 times for 319 yards plus seven bases.
During his nine-year CFL career, Fajardo completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 21,406 yards with 97 touchdowns against 59 interceptions and compiled a 49-36-1 regular season record. He rushed 551 times for 2,810 yards, 5.1 per carry and 48 majors.
Edmonton finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7–11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Fajardo started the team's final 13 games of the regular season and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the top five with a 1-4 record and threw for 984 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Moose ranked ninth in net offense, ninth in net defense and fifth with a plus-four turnover margin. The team's leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, the leading receiver was Kion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and the leading tackler was Joel Dublanco with 80 tackles. Edmonton ranked seventh in attendance with an average attendance of 19,050, down 7.1 per cent from the previous year.
