All eyes entering the 2025 CFL season in Montreal will be focused on new starting quarterback, Davis Alexander.
The 26-year-old leads the Alouettes after signing a three-year contract extension during the offseason. He finished last year completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 1,347 yards with six touchdowns versus three interceptions while rushing 24 times for 166 yards plus three majors.
Although there seems to be pressure on Alexander to follow Cody Fajardo’s successes in Montreal, including a 2023 Grey Cup win and first place finish in the East Division last season, he doesn’t see it the same way.
“That’s what I was built to do,” Alexander said in an exclusive interview with 3DownNation. “This is not what I call pressure. You might call it pressure from the outside, that’s not how I see it. I’m focused on doing whatever I need to do for the team.”
This starting quarterback opportunity didn’t fall into Alexander’s lap. First signed in 2022, he waited while developing behind Vernon Adams Jr., Trevor Harris and Cody Fajardo to earn his shot.
His shining moment came on July 26, 2024 during a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Als were trailing by 13 points and Jason Maas decided to give him a chance. Alexnder led the team to a comeback win and produced a 4-0 win-loss record as the starter.
Montreal went back to Fajardo as the team’s starting quarterback to finish the season and lost the East Final at home. Although he didn’t play, Alexander has learned from that experience.
“We worked hard all season. I’m not holding anything against us on that front. When you go from winning the Grey Cup to being on top of the league pretty much the whole year, it’s human, but you tend to get a little complacent. It was a big awakening for us, the veteran guys. Every single day, we gotta take advantage of. It’s a privilege to play in Montreal and we gotta remember that day in and day out. “
Alexander will benefit from playing with the same receivers as last year. Barring injury or anything unforeseen, Tyson Philpot, Austin Mack, Charleston Rambo, Cole Spieker and Tyler Snead should be the starters in Week 1. The charismatic quarterback feels each pass catcher has the potential to reach the 1,000-yard milestone.
“All five of our starting receivers could individually go over a thousand yards. I’m not saying they will, but you all saw what they were capable of last season,” he said.
Alexander doesn’t feel any extra pressure to help them produce. He recognizes he’s taking charge of a well-oiled offence. However, he doesn’t want to set exact expectations for himself and his team.
“I’m focused on giving our guys the best chance to win week in and week out because I know we have a special squad. We have some of the best special teams in the league, I would say we have the best defence in the league, I think anyone could argue we have the best receivers in the league, the O-line put it together and [Walter] Fletcher is the most underrated running back in the league.”
Alexander realizes he won’t be alone and that the locker room believes in him. He is thankful for the support he has received since signing his contract.
“It is incredibly special. I’m so thankful for the guys, the coaches and the organization. I think those guys know I’m gonna do anything I can to fulfill all of our dreams,” Alexander said.
The Alouettes start the 2025 regular season on Friday, June 6 when Montreal hosts the Toronto Argonauts at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The post ‘That’s what I was built to do’: Davis Alexander doesn’t feel pressure being first-time CFL starting QB with Montreal Alouettes appeared first on 3DownNation.
