EDMONTON – Coming out of training camp in early June, Tre Ford was the Edmonton Elks starting quarterback, the man expected to be their leader for years to come.
On July 13, he was replaced by Cody Fajardo in the fourth quarter of the Elks 32-14 loss to the B.C. Lions.
The 27-year-old Ford, signed to a three-year contract in the off-season, hasn’t seen the field since. In that six-week span the native of Niagara Falls, Ont., went from the future face of the franchise to perhaps not having a future with the club at all.
“Honestly that’s not up to me, I don’t get to make those decisions,” Ford said this week when asked if he saw his future being in Edmonton. “We’ll see in the off-season.”
Ford wasn’t exactly given a strong endorsement about his future by Elks head coach Mark Kilam, who had far more important things on his mind this week.
“He still has a future, in the CFL for sure,” Kilam said. “As we said when we made the change it wasn’t the end of him.”
So, what happened to one of the more exciting, and, at least for a brief span, successful young quarterbacks in the CFL? In the three previous seasons the Elks were 9-9 with Ford at quarterback and 6-30 without him.
“Hard to say just one thing,” said Kilam. “We needed a spark, like everyone else on this football team he needs to work on some things and just kind of what it was at the time.”
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Ford said there were some positives among the negatives at the start of the season.
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“Some things were my fault, I think some things were out of my control,” he said. “But that’s how it goes. We had some decent games, had some bad ones.”
Ford was somewhat a victim of the Elks lack of success on the ground.
When he came off the bench in the previous two seasons, the team had already established a solid running game. This year it took the Elks almost 10 weeks to get it to a point where it became an essential part of the offence.
In the five games Ford started he was usually faced with second down and long.
“Second and long isn’t ideal for anybody,” Ford said. “I think the league average conversion rate is like 32 per cent on second and seven plus. So, it’s not an ideal situation to live in. When you look at the stats, I think every game we’ve rushed for 60 yards we’ve won. We’re a team that prides itself on being able to run so being able to get that running game established.
“Some games we definitely lacked some offensive stats and performances. But again, it was start of the year, new system and everything so we were definitely slow here and there.”
Ford said the Elks were inconsistent despite some “explosive” plays.
“Some two and outs that kept our defence on the field, put them in some tough situations. Big thing is we weren’t winning games.”
The Elks were 1-4 when Cody Fajardo, obtained in a trade one week after Ford re-signed in January, assumed the quarterbacking duties. The team is 6-5 since there and still has playoff hopes heading into this second-last weekend of the regular season.
Ford said his confidence hasn’t wavered and he feels fairly comfortable in his role right now.
“Obviously, I would love to be the starter but Cody’s being playing well,” he said. “You have to ride the hot hand.
“There’s other things I can do to have an impact right now, just being a good teammate, a leader and being somebody who can answer some people when they ask questions. So, I’m just trying to be that role for my team right now.”
Ford was drafted by Edmonton in the first round, eighth overall, in the 2022 draft out of Waterloo. The 2021 Hec Crighton Award winner’s CFL career hasn’t gone as he planned, or as many expected.
“I don’t think professional football goes the way anyone plans it,” he said. “There’s going to be highs and lows. If you look across the league … Cody had his first start I think he said in his fifth year. I’m only four years in. Even Trevor (Harris) and Zach (Collaros) got their first starts in their third years. So, I’m just going to continue getting better. I’m only 27, still got a lot of football left. I’m confident when I do get back on the field I’m going to have success.
“Having adversity is a good thing for everybody, in sports, in life, in everything. Definitely just learn from it and try to be a better person, a better football player.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
