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This time, he's wearing a different jersey, but has reunited with his old quarterback. And don't think for a second Fajardo didn't factor into Mack's decision in free agency
Published Jun 17, 2026 • Last updated 2 minutes ago • 4 minute read
Edmonton Elks Austin Mack celebrates his touch down against the Calgary Stampeders during CFL preseason action on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Edmonton.
Edmonton Elks Austin Mack celebrates his touch down against the Calgary Stampeders during CFL preseason action on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia
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The Edmonton Elks appear to be right on target when it comes to their revamped receiving corps.
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Cody Fajardo wasted no time establishing a connection with big fish free-agent acquisition Mack Austin Mack for the first touchdown of the season in a 29-21 season-opening win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
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Make that re-establishing the connection.
The quarterback and receiver are no strangers to each other, having won a Grey Cup together with the Montreal Aloeuttes in 2023 — Mack’s rookie season in the Canadian Football League, which ended with Fajardo earning Grey Cup MVP honours.
And it will be a blast from the past for the pair when the Elks hold their home-opener Saturday against the Als (2 p.m., TSN, 880 CHED), where the Elks will look to start out a season 2-0 for the first time since 2019.
Mack’s rookie season saw him haul in 78 passes for 1,154 yards to finish top five in the league in both categories, to go with four touchdowns on his way to being named a CFL all-star, and adding 13 catches for 185 more yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs.
“That was the Grey Cup, dude. That was one of the best experiences ever,” Mack recalled. “But it wasn’t always perfect, you know?”
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It led, as those kinds of numbers often do, to the young receiver earning a shot down south with the Atlanta Falcons after having gone undrafted in the NFL in 2020. And as they also often do, Mack returned to the three-down circuit the following season to help the Als once again reach the Grey Cup final, falling this time to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
This time, he’s wearing a different jersey, but has reunited with his old quarterback. And don’t think for a second Fajardo didn’t factor into Mack’s decision in free agency.
“A hundred per cent. That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to sign here. To be with a guy like that,” said Mack, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound product of Ohio State. “He’s a great, hell of a player and he’s just somebody that’s gritty.”
You’d have to be, after going from reigning Grey Cup MVP to begin the 2024 season, down to a backup role to start out 2025.
Edmonton Elks Cody Fajardo r
Edmonton Elks Cody Fajardo runs with the ball against the Calgary Stampeders during CFL preseason action on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia
Fortunately, Fajardo’s ego didn’t get in the way of him humbly working his way back onto the first team midway through last year, following yet another slow start for the double-E.
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And this year, he and Mack are looking to help get things going for the Elks right out of the gates.
“We’re going to be in some great times, we might be in some bad times, but he’s still going to throw his nose out there and give it his best,” Mack said. “I’m excited to be with him and, man, we’re going to make a lot of plays.”
Their first one of note came on a 10-yard connection into the end zone to take a 10-0 lead over the Redblacks in the second quarter of their Week 1 win, coming one snap after a 39-yard catch by another new member in the Elks receiving stable, T.J. Luther.
Fajardo ended up completing 23 of 34 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown in a game where the Elks won the turnover battle 4-0 in wet conditions. A solid performance, to say the least, from a 34-year-old who hasn’t automatically been seen as a long-term solution to Edmonton’s ongoing quarterback question plaguing the club for the past five years.
And don’t bother suggesting it might be too late in Fajardo’s career for any kind of resurgence, either.
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“Hell, no. His piss is hot, he’s ready to go,” Mack said. “At the quarterback position, you saw the guy who just won it last year (Trevor Harris), he’s in his 40s. It doesn’t matter.
“They need to be up here, seasoned, and that’s what (Fajardo) is. He’s going to get the ball to where it needs to go and that’s all that matters.”
Fajardo might suggest the hands waiting at the other end of the pass are equally important. And he has no concerns when it comes to Mack’s.
“You throw 50-50 balls up to him and it’s more like 80-20 balls,” the quarterback said. “He’s a guy who can catch contested balls, contorts his body in different ways and is just a great route runner.
“He was at the X in Montreal, which is on the ball a lot, and last year he was at the Y, which had a little bit more waggle. So, we put him at the W here (wide out). It has a little bit more waggle, and I’ll say this, his waggle looks really good. Much more improved than when we were in Montreal. He was just trying to get to the CFL game.”
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This year, Mack is looking to not just make it 3-for-3 in Grey Cup appearances, but to get back to the right side of the scoreboard in the end too.
“His route running has always been there, his hands have always been there,” Fajardo said. “So, it’s just exciting with him on this squad.”
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On X: @StarkRavinMod
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