He hired former Alouettes head coach, Charlie Taaffe, to lead the team, but Desjardins' first full season with the Tiger-Cats with a 3–15 record.
[4] Notably, he had signed Casey Printers midway through the season and traded away incumbent starter, Jason Maas, but the team's offence still struggled.
Desjardins received his second opportunity to assemble a CFL team as he was named the general manager for the expansion Ottawa Redblacks on January 30, 2013.
[6] After a dismal 2–16 inaugural season, Desjardins quickly assembled a competitive team as the Redblacks finished with a 12–6 record in 2015 and an appearance in the 103rd Grey Cup.
[8] The team also lost their offensive coordinator, Jaime Elizondo, to the XFL after he was not permitted to interview for a vacant CFL head coaching position.
[13] On January 11, 2024, it was announced that Desjardins had returned to the Montreal Alouettes to serve as the team's assistant to the general manager and player personnel.