It was an announcement that caught everyone by surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t have.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Argonauts announced that defensive end Shawn Lemon had signed with the team, his second tour of duty in Double Blue after playing for the team 2016-19.
“I’m just thankful,” Lemon told Argonauts.ca. “I’ve always loved playing football in Toronto. I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”
The Argos found themselves in search mode. Injuries in successive weeks to Jeremiah Ojo and Andrew Chatfield Jr. meant the team had to find a defensive end who was not under contract anywhere and preferably had CFL experience.
Lemon checked both boxes.
Not only did the native of Charleston, South Carolina have over a dozen CFL seasons under his belt, he was a free agent. As a bonus, he worked with Argo defensive coordinator Greg Quick for his last two years in Montreal, where they won the Grey Cup in 2023, then reached the final last season.
But Lemon remained a free agent until this week. He was confident the phone would eventually ring and wasn’t slightly surprised when the call came from Toronto.
“It’s all timing,” he said. “Me and (Argo player personnel director) Jim Barker have been in contact every week, and I have a relationship with Coach Quick; we’ve talked every week. I was just staying ready and waiting for an opportunity.”
There are people skeptical of the move, and with reason. Lemon isn’t 23 years old anymore. He’s 37 and played his first CFL game in 2011. His odometer is filled with city kilometres, not bolstered by long, easy drives through the country, but he believes he still has a lot of road to travel.
“I’ve got a lot of gas left in the tank,” he said. “My body feels fresh. I’ve been fortunate to not have a lot of surgeries. I’ve had some time off through my career as well. I feel great.”
Those times away from the sport weren’t by choice. He had an extra long off-season before signing with the Argos on Tuesday and didn’t play in 2024. The CFL suspended him that season for betting on league games while playing with Calgary. He was reinstated a year later.
Those down times, combined with him knowing he’s much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, have made him appreciate the sport even more.
“I love the game of football,” he said. “I know what I can do when I’m given the opportunity. I just want to be a leader and lead these guys by example, be the best version of myself, and just be a good teammate and come in and help an already great front. I know how to get to the quarterback.”
There’s no question about that. The University of Akron product has 103 career sacks over 157 games, adding six in the playoffs, and three more in four championship games.
Lemon’s last Grey Cup appearance is a recent one. He was signed in 2023 by Montreal, almost three years to the day prior to his putting pen to paper with Toronto. The Alouettes were 2-3 and had lost three games in a row when he arrived in Quebec, almost exactly the same situation that the Argos find themselves in now.
His presence added a needed boost on the field, a veteran presence in the locker room, and helped the Als turn things around. He recorded nine sacks in the regular season, added three more in two playoff games, then another in Montreal’s Grey Cup win over Winnipeg.
What can he bring to the Argos?
“The same thing I added to Montreal,” he explained. “It was a similar kind of team, but they didn’t have a lot of older guys who have been around the league. I just want to lead by example and get the camaraderie off the field. It translates to on the field. I just want to be a true pro and be the first guy in, and the last guy to leave, and bring my knowledge of how to get to the quarterback.”
Lemon has been splitting his time between Montreal and Maryland, spending time with his family and working out every day, hoping for an opportunity like the one he has now, dreaming he can replicate the similarity with his 2023 season by winning another Grey Cup.