Riders players happy to see Fajardo sign extension

Cody Fajardo admitted stepping onto the practice field Tuesday after signing a two-year contract extension was nerve-racking.

“I just didn’t want my first completion to be an interception,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback said after practice at the University of Regina.

Fajardo has taken full advantage of the opportunity he got when then-starting quarterback Zach Collaros went down on the third play of the Roughriders’ season-opener on July 13 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Fajardo has guided the CFL’s Roughriders to an 11-5 record, which was rewarded with an extension on Monday.

The Green and White will look to improve on that record against the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

Fajardo said he has received messages from a lot of different people congratulating him on putting pen to paper.

“It has been pretty surreal for me to just see all the people who are in my corner and who are rooting for me and who’ve been with me through this whole process of being a guy who didn’t know if they were going to make the roster to now signing a contract and feeling good about it,” Fajardo said.

One of the players who reached out to Fajardo was Saskatchewan slotback Emmanuel Arceneaux, who first played with Fajardo with the B.C. Lions in the 2018 season.

“I told him, ‘Congratulations, but this is just the beginning,’ ” Arceneaux said. “He waited in the stable for the longest and now it’s time to let the horses out and roll.

“I just told him, ‘It’s a blessing and to continue to do what you’re doing because now is where you lay the foundation and start to build that brand because people know about you.’ I expected this to come.”

Roughriders tailback William Powell was also happy to see Fajardo get the pay day the quarterback earned.

“He has been playing big, he has been playing tough and when we need first downs, he has been going out and getting tough yards,” Powell said.

Head coach Craig Dickenson is glad to see Fajardo get the contract after going out and earning it throughout the season.

“(Fajardo) has proven that he’s not only a capable starter in this league, he’s a winning starter and that’s the important thing,” Dickenson said. “You want to sign guys that will help you win and he has done that.

“He does everything right. He’s a worker (and) he studies the game.”

The deal means the rookie head coach and first-year starter will be together for the entirety of their current contracts, with both set to expire at the end of the 2021 season.

Dickenson said Fajardo has shown he’s the type of player a team can build around.

“He’s a guy that has the confidence of the coaching staff and the confidence of the locker room,” Dickenson said. “With those things in mind, you want to make sure you can lock up a guy you feel strongly about.”

While the future of the Roughriders was given a foundation, Powell said the team is only focused on 2019 right now.

“We feel like we have a great chance to have a shot at the championship,” he said.

Notes: Defensive lineman Micah Johnson (ankle) and centre Dan Clark (concussion) were both practising Tuesday … Defensive backs Ed Gainey (back) and Loucheiz Purifoy (family matter) were not at practice … Arceneaux practised with the first-team offence. Slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert was with the second team for most of practice … The Roughriders added defensive back Shamar Busby to the practice roster. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder spent the pre-season with the Ottawa Redblacks … The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m. Saturday.