Cody Fajardo felt Grey Cup type pressure in Riders first game since big money extension

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

Cody Fajardo wants to provide the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a proper return on their investment.

Fajardo signed a lucrative two-year contract extension prior to the Riders Week 20 game in Edmonton worth over $400,000 per season.

“I felt a lot of nerves. Anytime a team invests in you, you want to go out there and show that you can do it. It’s a little bit easier when they’re not really paying you that much. But when they invest a lot of money into you, you want to go out there and prove and make them right,” Fajardo said.

“For me this was going to be the game that had the most pressure, it was almost like a Grey Cup pressure with that and a must-win, Calgary losing, everything just piling on. I’m going to reap the benefits of that.”

The young franchise quarterback led an eight-play, 70-yard drive in the last two minutes against the Eskimos which setup a 43-yard game-winning field goal from Brett Lauther. Saskatchewan won 27-24 and clinched a home playoff date.

“He’s a tough kid. He seems to be at his best when we’re in the worst places on the field, backed up at our own six, you can’t turn the ball over, you gotta get first downs and he was able to do it,” head coach Craig Dickenson said.

Fajardo completed 25-of-35 passes for 429 yards — his second 400-plus yard performance of the season — and two touchdowns as he improved the win-loss record as a starting QB to 12-4. The remarkable rise to stardom has the Riders one win away from the West Division regular season title.