Austin Mack enjoying a career season with Edmonton Elks

Reuniting with Cody Fajardo is paying huge dividends for Austin Mack.

Through 16 games in his first season with the Edmonton Elks, Mack has established career highs in catches (79), yards (1,229) and touchdowns (eight). Mack last had numbers like these in his first CFL campaign with the Montreal Alouettes in 2023 (78 receptions, 1,154 yards, four TDs).

The constant in both equations, though, is Fajardo. The veteran quarterback was with Montreal in 2023, leading the team to a Grey Cup championship that season.

This year, Edmonton (12-4) will return to the CFL playoffs for the first time since 2019. It will also host its first postseason contest since 2015.

If Edmonton can split its remaining two regular-season games (Friday against Winnipeg, at Saskatchewan on Oct. 24), it will cement first in the West and host the division final Nov. 7. The Elks downed Calgary 45-31 in the 2015 West final before beating Ottawa 26-20 in the Grey Cup, for their last CFL title.

The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Mack spent his first three CFL seasons with Montreal and finished his ’25 campaign playing in the club’s 25-17 Grey Cup loss to Saskatchewan. He was released by the Alouettes on Jan. 26 ahead of being due a reported $45,000 roster bonus.

But, with Fajardo’s persistence, the 29-year-old Mack signed a two-year deal with Edmonton three days later.

“It’s funny because Cody never calls anybody in the off-season because he’s with his family,” Mack said. “But he called me every single day until I signed.

“There was a lot that went into it … I wanted to make sure it was the right fit and was a decision me and my family made together even though I had my guy shooting me texts. I think had I gone anywhere else our friendship would’ve probably ended and it’s a good thing we didn’t have to go down that road.”

“There was a reason why I called him 360 times to try and get him here,” Fajardo said. “I just know how good he is and how good he was for me in Montreal.

“Everything I thought he’d do here he has done and exceeded. I’m just really happy he’s on the green and gold with me.”

But Fajardo isn’t the only reason for Mack’s success in Edmonton. First and foremost, Mack has remained healthy and been a nice fit in offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic’s scheme.

Edmonton earned a 27-12 road win in Hamilton on Friday to clinch a home playoff contest. It was the Elks’ second straight victory over the Ticats (following a 37-35 double overtime decision Sept. 26) and sixth in their last seven games overall.

Finishing the regular season against West rivals shouldn’t faze Edmonton, which is 6-2 within its division. The Elks are 1-1 against Saskatchewan and have already won the season series with Winnipeg (2-0).

That’s not bad for a team that posted a 7-11 record last season to finish fifth in the West Division. But general manager Ed Hervey signed such veterans as defensive lineman Robbie Smith, defensive back Tyrell Ford and running back Justin Rankin to extensions before getting Fajardo, 34, to put off retirement in December.

Then in free agency, Hervey added such veterans as offensive linemen Coulter Woodmansey, Brendan Bordner and Jordan Murray, receivers Mack, Brendan O’Leary-Orange and Joe Robustelli and defensive lineman Malik Carney.

“This locker room has a lot of great guys who want to win, who want to sacrifice,” Mack said. “It’s a lot of team guys and you need that in this league.”

That’s not to downplay the impact of the Mack-Fajardo chemistry. But the biggest returns on familiarity and time together usually come in big games, especially those in Canada in late October and November.

“Everyone says Canada is cold, and it can be, but the best part about playing football in the cold is you’re playing in meaningful games,” Mack said. “One of the reasons why I wanted to come to this team was to contribute to helping this offence be more explosive and be in games and I believe that’s what I’ve done this year.

“We’ve still got to make sure we secure [a West final home berth] and that’s our biggest focus. If we could, that would be amazing and I’d hope we’d see 60,000 people in Commonwealth [for a division championship game].”