Chris Murray

cmurray@rgj.com

The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League is looking to sign former Wolf Pack star Cody Fajardo to a deal, according to the Toronto Sun.

The Argonauts begin camp next month and want to have Fajardo in uniform by then to compete for the team's backup job. Last month, Fajardo went through a workout with the San Diego Chargers and also recently attended the Argonauts' mini-camp in Florida.

Fajardo spent last season with the Oakland Raiders during training camp but didn't make the final roster and joined Toronto when the CFL roster were expanded in September. He didn't play but got to learn the differences in the CFL, namely that there are 12 players on defense and only three downs.

Wolf Pack football for dummies: 2016 season preview

“Coming up, I didn’t know there were 12 guys on the field,’’ Fajardo told the Toronto Sun. “I didn’t know there were three downs. I remember taking my first few reps with the scout team and there are 12 guys on defense. It looks like there are 40 guys out there as opposed to the regular 11. There were guys running all over the field. This offense fits my strengths very well. I saw how the team handled adversity last year and it was pretty inspiring. I wanted to be part of this team.”

At Nevada, Fajardo became only the second quarterback in FBS history to throw for 9,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards in a career, joining his predecessor, Colin Kaepernick, in that exclusive club. He went undrafted in 2015 and after being released by Oakland told his agent he was tired of waiting for a NFL opportunity and wanted to sign with a team, the Toronto Sun reported.

The Argonauts' starter last season, Trevor Harris, left in free agency for the Ottawa Redblacks as a free agent. He threw for 4,354 yards, 33 touchdowns and 19 interceptions last season. Toronto has three quarterbacks on its roster in Logan Kilgore, formerly of Middle Tennessee Sate; Adrian McPherson, formerly of Florida State, and the 36-year-old Ricky Ray, who took over starting duties from Harris late last season after recovering from a tear in his right rotator cuff.

Ray, a three-time Grey Cup champion, and Kilgore are expected to battle for the starting job. Toronto general manager, Jim Barker, said he became aware of Fajardo from a contact at Nevada.

“I thought he was tailor-made for the CFL,’’ Barker told the Sun.

Toronto's first preseason game is June 11 and its season opener is June 23.