What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
Cody Fajardo once again showed he’s a team-first guy by restructuring his contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but he’s not the first quarterback to do it. Darian Durant did it when Chris Jones arrived in 2016.
After injury-plagued seasons, Durant took less as Jones wanted more money to spread around. Of course we know how that relationship ended. It was the last year in Saskatchewan for Durant, but it was his chance to prove he still was the guy. And for Jones, Durant wasn’t his guy.
It feels like that’s the same for Fajardo. In 2019, when Fajardo signed his original contract extension, it was a signal that the Riders had found their guy. With the 2020 season cancelled and 2021 shortened, his contract was stamped with an extra year.
But the Riders want more money to spread around and after Fajardo’s dropoff in performance from 2019 to 2021, there are questions about the trajectory of Fajardo as a starter.
While Fajardo took one for the team for all the right reasons, he’ll definitely have leverage to get that money back if he repeats his 2019 season.