Jessie Nathaniel Lemonier (January 31, 1997 – January 26, 2023) was an American football

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He played for the Los Angeles Chargers and the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

of the National Football League (NFL), and the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL). He was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 following his

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 ...

career with the Liberty Flames.

Professional career

Los Angeles Chargers

Lemonier signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

on April 26, 2020. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020, waived on October 24, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad four days later. He was promoted back to the active roster on November 7, waived on November 28, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad four days later. He was elevated to the active roster on December 17 for the team's week 15 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and reverted back to the practice squad after the game. He was signed to the active roster on December 26, 2020. On August 31, 2021, Lemonier was waived by the Chargers.

Detroit Lions

On September 2, 2021, Lemonier was signed to the

practice squad, promoted to the active roster on October 6, and waived on May 16, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On May 17, 2022, Lemonier was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

and released on August 17.

Birmingham Stallions

Lemonier was selected by the Arlington Renegades in the

2023 XFL Draft The 2023 XFL Draft, is the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL, and the second draft in that league's history following the 2020 draft. The draft was held on November 15–17, 2022, with ...

, but instead signed with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL on December 31, 2022. His playing rights were immediately traded to the Birmingham Stallions.

Death

On January 26, 2023, Lemonier died at the age of 25. Lemonier and his girlfriend were expecting their first child at the time of his death.

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bio

Liberty Flames football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemonier, Jessie 1997 births 2023 deaths People from Hialeah, Florida Players of American football from Florida Sportspeople from Miami-Dade County, Florida American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers Liberty Flames football players Los Angeles Chargers players Detroit Lions players Arizona Cardinals players Houston Gamblers (2022) players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players