Jonathan Kongbo (born 19 March 1996) is a professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

, who is 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 ...

. He most recently played for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was originally drafted by the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

in the first round with the fifth overall pick in the

2019 CFL Draft The 2019 CFL Draft took place on May 2, 2019 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS. 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the United States on NCAA or ...

. 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 ...

at Arizona Western and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

College career

He was a three-sport athlete while attending

Holy Cross Regional High School Holy Cross Regional High School, or "HCRHS", is a Catholic school, under the administration of CISVA (Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese) school board located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Robert Dejulius (March 12, ...

Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...

, after transferring in grade 12 from Kitsilano Secondary. He accepted a scholarship to the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

, where he was a

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in 2014 and did not play for the team. Kongbo then transferred to

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

, where he was a junior college All-American in 2015 and a high-profile college prospect. The following season in 2016, he played

for

as a sophomore. His junior year was his best year, with ten games played and 29 total tackles. In 2018, his senior year, he moved into the linebacker role; after six games, he tore his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL) at

The University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

against Auburn and did not play for the rest of the season.

Professional career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Upon entering the

CFL Draft The CFL Draft (also known as the CFL Canadian Draft, CFL College Draft or the Canadian College Draft) is an annual sports draft in which the teams of the Canadian Football League (CFL) select eligible Canadian Football League#Players and compensat ...

, Kongbo was at one point ranked the number-one prospect by the Central CFL Scouting Bureau and was eventually drafted fifth overall in the

by the

. He was signed by the Blue Bombers on 17 May 2019, and placed on their six-game injured list, hoping to play before the end of summer. He played in his first career professional game on 1 August 2019, against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

. In his first season, Kongbo played in 12 games, recording 12 tackles and a sack. He played in all three of the Blue Bombers' post-season games, including the

107th Grey Cup The 107th Grey Cup decided the champion of the 2019 season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The match was played on November 24, 2019, between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta. Wi ...

game where he won his first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

championship. Kongbo was released on 5 December 2019, as part of a pre-determined agreement to pursue

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

opportunities.

San Francisco 49ers

On 1 January 2020, Kongbo signed a reserve/future contract with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

of the NFL. He was waived/injured on 27 August 2020, and subsequently reverted to the team's

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

the next day. He was waived with an injury settlement on 4 September 2020.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (II)

On 7 June 2021, it was announced that Kongbo had re-signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a one-year contract. Kongbo recorded 16 tackles on defense and one more on special teams, plus 3 sacks during the shortened 14 game regular season. Kongbo also had three more tackles and another sack in the playoffs, during which the Bombers won another Grey Cup. Kongbo was released to pursue NFL opportunities after the season concluded.

Denver Broncos

On 12 January 2022, Kongbo signed a reserve/future contract with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the NFL. He was waived on 30 August 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on 6 October. He was waived on 11 October and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted back to the active roster on 31 December.

BC Lions

On 21 May 2023, it was announced that Kongbo had signed with his hometown

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

. He was competing with four other Canadians for snaps along the defensive line;

Mathieu Betts Mathieu Betts (born March 22, 1995) is a professional Canadian football defensive linemen for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Betts is the only player in U Sports football history to have won four major individual awards after ...

, David Menard, Joshua Archibald and first-round

2023 CFL Draft The 2023 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on May 2, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET. 72 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, ...

pick Francis Bemiy. There were rumours that Kongbo was not happy with his place in the depth chart and he claimed others on the team were not acting professionally. Others in the organization claimed that Kongbo quit on the team and was not a culture fit.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On 5 June 2023, Kongo was traded to the

in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2024 CFL Draft. He played in all 18 regular season games where he had 15 defensive tackles and three special teams tackles. He was released in the following off-season on January 30, 2024.

Personal life

Kongbo was born in

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

(now known as the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

) to parents Joachim and Lily and has one brother, Joel. He moved to Canada when he was five years old. He also holds French citizenship.

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bioTennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kongbo, Jonathan Living people 1996 births Players of Canadian football from British Columbia Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Canada Democratic Republic of the Congo players of American football Democratic Republic of the Congo players of Canadian football Canadian football defensive linemen American football defensive linemen Arizona Western Matadors football players Tennessee Volunteers football players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players San Francisco 49ers players Denver Broncos players BC Lions players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players