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

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

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), and the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was signed by the Chargers as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2020 following his

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

career with the

Liberty Flames The Liberty Flames and Lady Flames are the athletics teams of Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. They are a member of the NCAA Division I level in 20 sports. As of July 1, 2023, LU is a member of Conference USA (CUSA) fo ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Chargers

Lemonier signed with the

as an

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 ...

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

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

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 The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, 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) NFC West, West division. The ...

and released on August 17.

Birmingham Stallions

Lemonier was selected by the

Arlington Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMah ...

in the 2023 XFL Draft, but instead signed with the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducin ...

of the USFL on December 31, 2022. His playing rights were immediately traded to the

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. His cause of death is unknown at this time.

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bio

Liberty Flames football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemonier, Jessie 1997 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Hialeah, Florida Players of American football 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