5 Things to Know for 2025: Montreal Alouettes

Jamie Nye

CFL.ca

@jamienye

As the 2025 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2025.

A year after shocking the CFL with an incredible run at the Grey Cup Championship, the Alouettes came into the 2024 playoffs as the best team in the league.

Despite all the momentum, the Als went one-and-done in the post-season with a dramatic loss to the Toronto Argonauts at home in Montreal in the Eastern Final.

Many pro athletes say it’s those losses that stick with you far more than even winning does.

And the Alouettes return plenty of starters from last year to get ready for another run at the top of the East Division and getting some revenge for a season they feel slipped through their fingers.

Here are five things to know about the Montreal Alouettes going into CFL Kickoff on June 5th.

NEW GUY IN CHARGE

The biggest move in the off-season for general manager Danny Maciocia and head coach Jason Maas was making a decision at quarterback.

Gone is the Grey Cup winner Cody Fajardo as they decided to hand the reigns over to Davis Alexander after three seasons toiling on the Alouettes depth chart waiting for his opportunity. The opportunity came last season when Fajardo was injured and Caleb Evans faltered against Saskatchewan. Alexander came into the game and sparked the Als offence to a comeback win.

The young pivot followed that up with a perfect 4-0 mark as a starter with Fajardo out of the lineup. After Fajardo failed to lead the Alouettes back into the championship, the team made an incredibly difficult decision to go with the rising star over the veteran quarterback.

Alexander definitely looked the part of a budding star quarterback when he was in the game for Montreal and we’ll see if it can carry over with a full season of being the guy the great defensive coordinators in this league game plan against.

With a new starter also come a new backup as McLeod Bethel-Thompson was acquired in the deal that sent Fajardo to Edmonton. The veteran leader does give Alexander a valuable resource along with offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo and Maas to get as much good advice as possible in his first season as a starter.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT WALTER!

Let me just say this… put some respect on Walter Fletcher’s name.

Yes, Ka’Deem Carey had a 1,000-yard season with the Argonauts out of the backfield to earn the East Division All-CFL nod but when you crunch the numbers it was Fletcher who came out ahead in yards from scrimmage in 2024.

While Fletcher didn’t have gaudy running numbers, he did produce nearly the same amount of yards as a receiver. Pay attention to Walter Fletcher this year as he’ll continue to be a safety valve for quarterbacks and a guy Maas loves to get out into space to challenge the opposition.

I’m always excited to see what a guy does in year two of an opportunity with an off-season to really find those ways to better their overall game.

I’ll be watching closely to see Walter Fletcher again do some big things in a not so typical fashion out of the backfield. But don’t just judge running backs on their rushing yards in this league, Walter Fletcher is a great example they can be so much more than that!

BEST LINEBACKERS IN THE LEAGUE!

I don’t think it gets any better than Darnell Sankey and Tyrice Beverette in the Canadian Football League.

Beverette was the runner up for the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award in 2024 as he can do it all out of the linebacker position. He can smack you, cover you, sack you, pick you off … need I go on?

I personally would have had Beverette and Rolan Milligan Jr. as the Most Outstanding Player finalists as well last season.

But it wasn’t like Darnell Sankey was far off either. He was fourth to Beverette’s first in defensive plays last season. With Sankey and Beverette patrolling the second level of the Alouettes defence, it is an absolute clinic week after week on how to make offences’ lives miserable in the CFL.

Expect these two to once again make it hard on local voters to pick which one should get MODP honours.

ALEXANDER’S NOT-SO-SECRET WEAPONS

Tyson Philpot, Austin Mack, Cole Spieker, Tyler Snead and Charleston Rambo.

The last three are good receivers but remember the first two only combined for 12 games played last season. It should remind us all that Davis Alexander is going to have a blast spreading the ball around this year.

The Alouettes were the only team to not have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024. Philpot was on pace to have a 1,500-yard year until his injury took him out midway through the season.

Austin Mack hit 1,000 yards two years ago before his 2024 season was shortened with injury and an NFL tryout.

Charleston Rambo and Cole Spieker both appear destined to be 1,000-yard receivers in this league, while Tyler Snead was on a near 1,000-yard pace in his rookie season before only getting into seven games last year.

I think Maas can’t wait to get the ball in the air this season with this group!

A ‘SPECIAL’ KIND OF PLAYER

Similar to the chatter about Walter Fletcher and Ka’Deem Carey, we can have a conversation about James Letcher Jr. and Janarion Grant.

Which one had more combined yards last season??

You should know where I’m going with this.

It was Letcher Jr.

Yes, Grant had four return touchdowns to Letcher’s two but there is no doubt that Letcher at just 25 years old is becoming one of the most dangerous players to kick the ball to in the Canadian Football League.

Expect some big plays to flip the field for the third year return man!

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