Christopher Clemons (born October 30, 1981) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2003. Clemons has also played for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

and the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Early years

Clemons attended Griffin High School in

Griffin, Georgia Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,478. Griffin was founded in 1840 and named for landowner Col. Lewis Lawr ...

, where he was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team. He was named AAA-All Region first-team and nominated for Region MVP by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. He recorded 49 tackles, six sacks, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble his senior year, as well as rushed for 80 yards on ten carries and 12 receptions for 159 yards and three touchdowns. He was also a member of the track team.

College career

Clemons was recruited by the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1999. He started the 2000 season opener recording seven tackles, but then suffered a shoulder injury early in the season that sidelined him for several games. He played in 11 games in 2001, starting three of them. He played in 12 games with ten starts during his junior season, recording 53 tackles, and one sack. He was then named Most Improved Linebacker of 2002.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

After being

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

, Clemons signed with the

. However, he spent that entire season on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL. He spent the 2004 training camp with the Redskins, but was released prior to the start of the regular season.

Cleveland Browns

Clemons was signed to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

practice squad after being cut by the Redskins.

Washington Redskins (second stint)

He was re-signed to the Redskins' active roster on November 24, 2004, where he began to establish himself in the Redskins' defense, recording three sacks as a speed rusher late in the season. Clemons signed with the

again for the 2005 season where he played in 14 games and had eight tackles, two sacks, a blocked punt, and a forced fumble.

Oakland Raiders

Clemons played the 2007 season with the

, primarily playing as a situational pass rusher before becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 1, 2008, Clemons signed a five-year contract with the

. He is well known for stiff-arming of

Tashard Choice Tashard J. Choice (born November 20, 1984) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Georgia ...

on a fumble return touchdown in a playoff-clinching game versus the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

on December 28, 2008, and body-slamming

Tarvaris Jackson Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson (April 21, 1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for both Alabama State and Arkansas. He played professionally for the ...

in the subsequent first-round playoff game.

Seattle Seahawks

On March 16, 2010, Clemons was traded with a fourth round pick by the Eagles to the

in exchange for

Darryl Tapp Darryl Anthony Tapp (born September 13, 1984) is a former American football defensive end and outside linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is currently an assistant defensive line coach for the San Franc ...

. He was originally brought in to play the Leo position in Pete Carroll's defensive 4-3 over scheme, but with the injury of

Red Bryant Joseph Anthony "Red" Bryant (born April 18, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Texas A&M, and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Bryant also played f ...

after Week 7,

Raheem Brock Raheem Fukwan Brock (born June 10, 1978) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League. He played college football at Temple. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL ...

was moved into his place and Clemons moved to starting left defensive end. Clemons led the team with a career-high 11 sacks in both 2010 and 2011. On September 24, 2012, Clemons recorded four sacks, all in the first half, in a victory over the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. On January 6, 2013, Clemons suffered a torn ACL in a 24-14 playoff victory over the

. Clemons was later placed on injured reserve. On September 20, 2013 the Seahawks announced Clemons will play for his season debut in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Clemons and the Seahawks went on to win

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

that season. On March 12, 2014, Clemons was released by the Seahawks.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 13, 2014, Clemons signed a four-year, $17.5 million contract with the

. The Jaguars released Clemons on March 3, 2016.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

On April 1, 2016, Clemons agreed to terms in a deal to return to the

. On July 28, 2016, he informed the team that he planned to retire.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bioSeattle Seahawks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clemons, Chris 1981 births Living people People from Griffin, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football linebackers American football defensive ends Georgia Bulldogs football players Washington Redskins players Cleveland Browns players Oakland Raiders players Philadelphia Eagles players Seattle Seahawks players Jacksonville Jaguars players Ed Block Courage Award recipients