‘This is the beginning’: Edmonton Elks reflect on end of the season

The Edmonton Elks cleaned out their lockers and said their goodbyes on Saturday as they head into an early off-season.

The Edmonton Elks finished their season with a 20-10 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Friday night, but head coach Mark Kilam says the team has still come a long way in their bond and direction as they enter the offseason.

“I think we established who we want to be,” he said at a press conference Saturday. “I think the foundation is in place to be able to build on it and really hit the ground running.”

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The Elks’ playoff hopes were dashed in their penultimate game against the B.C. Lions last Friday, but their goal was to bring it home one last time for Edmonton against their Alberta rivals.

Albeit unsuccessful, the Elks walked away from their season of growth with a 7-11 record. It was Kilam’s first season as head coach – and he told media he’s learned a “lot of lessons” after being “pulled in a billion directions.”

A shoutout to quarterback Cody Fajardo was also in order as Kilam credited him for changing the trajectory of the team.

“And that’s not a shot at anyone else. He raised the level of play of everyone around him,” Kilam said.

The contribution of younger defensive backs who stepped in amid injuries, he added, was “very impressive.”

“We put them in positions where we asked a lot of them … they’re making a ton of adjustments, a ton of communication, and that’s a credit to them,” he said, adding that their experience will only serve the team better when they come back to camp next year.

Quarterback

There are plenty of decisions to be made for the Elks heading into another early off-season, but perhaps none more important than that concerning quarterbacks.

Can the team reach agreement with veteran Cody Fajardo, who engineered their strong second-half showing? And, if so, what’s the future for Tre Ford?

One thing that appeared certain Saturday as the players cleaned out of their lockers, had post-season meetings and said their goodbyes, was that Fajardo wants to be the team’s quarterback in 2026.

“If I play football next year it will be here,” said the 33-year-old who had signed a one-year contract after being traded from Montreal last January. “If everything goes as I would like it to go, and as expected, I would love nothing more that to wear the green and gold again.

“To be the starting quarterback of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 and to be a quarterback who can take this team to the playoffs, I would love nothing more that.”

General manager Ed Hervey said he feels very good about the direction the team is headed.

“I think more importantly is that there’s a plan. That’s the kind of thing we want our fans and our players and the people associated with us to understand is that we have a clear direction on where we’re trying to do and where we’re headed as a football team and department,” he said.

“Heading into the offseason, speaking with the guys, I told them this isn’t the end of the season. This is the beginning.”

With files from The Canadian Press