The day Davis Alexander had envisioned for all his life happened on Tuesday — the day he signed a contract to be the starting quarterback for a professional football team.
From trying to catch scouts’ eyes at his pro day, to battling for a spot in training camp, to finally becoming the franchise player for the Montreal Alouettes, he never stopped working and could always count on a strong support system around him. A system that included his father, Matt, until this year.
“Even though he is not necessarily with me, I know he’s still with me forever,” Alexander told the media with tears in his eyes. “I know that he is extremely proud, and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without him.”
The 26-year-old lost his dad to lung cancer in August, less than a month after he made his first career CFL start. He was the first one that Alexander would reach out to after games or to announce any positive news in his career. That special bond grounded him when he first joined the Alouettes but was painfully absent when he signed his latest three-year contract extension.
“In February 2022, when I first got the call and got the contract by email, I remember tears in my eyes. The first one I called was my dad. That was a pretty special moment for us — something I’ll never forget,” Alexander shared. “This time around, my agent sent me a text and told me to get ready to fly Wednesday for a press conference on Thursday. I had the same feeling, tears in my eyes, just extremely proud, but obviously, it was just a little bit different.”
It has been a long, rocky road for the Gig Harbour, Wash. native to reach his pro football dream, one that required a lot of sacrifice. In the most uncertain moments, before a deal with the Alouettes was even a possibility, he could always rely on family for support.
“I was training for a pro day in Seattle (in 2021); I was staying at my uncle’s place, and he took me in and allowed me to borrow the car. My only worry was I had to fill the car with gas,” Alexander recalled. “During that time, it was pretty intense, I was training 8-9 hours a day, and then I would go UberEats, DoorDash, just to make sure I could fill the tank.”
After two seasons of sparing usage as Montreal’s third-string quarterback, Alexander produced a perfect 4-0 win-loss record as a starter in 2024 while veteran Cody Fajardo was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He completed 105-of-151 passes (69.5 percent) for 1,347 yards with six touchdowns versus three interceptions while rushing 24 times for 166 yards plus three majors.
Now that his status as the future of the franchise has been confirmed, Alexander has a long offseason ahead of him, though he won’t approach it any differently. He plans to spend some time with his girlfriend, Kenzie, in Kelowna, B.C., before driving south to Scottsdale, Ariz. at the beginning of the new year. That’s where he will spend his offseason throwing balls with some NFL, CFL, and UFL players, including frequent training partner Chris Streveler of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He also told 3DownNation that he intends to invite his receivers down for a mini-training camp before the actual one, an idea he stole from ex-teammate and new Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
“VA was one of the guys who helped mentor me, and I like what he does,” Alexander said. “That’s kind of our goal too. I’ve already talked about it with some receivers.”
The post ‘He’s still with me forever’: Alouettes’ QB Davis Alexander achieves football dream after losing father to cancer appeared first on 3DownNation.
