Lirim Hajrullahu

Lirim Hajrullahu (born April 24, 1990) is a Kosovan-born Canadian gridiron football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He is a two-time Canadian Football League East Division All-Star and became a Grey Cup champion with the Toronto Argonauts after kicking the game-winning field goal in the 105th Grey Cup game. Hajrullahu played college football at Western Ontario and attended Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Lirim Hajrullahu
No. 9 – Carolina Panthers
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1990-04-24) April 24, 1990
Gjilan, Kosovo
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Governor Simcoe
(St. Catharines, Ontario)
University:Western Ontario
Undrafted:2014
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Reserve/Future
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Career CFL statistics
Field goals:239
Field goal attempts:287
Longest field goal:56
Punts:651
Punt average:44.1
Player stats at CFL.ca
Lirim Hajrullahu
Medal record
Men’s American football
Representing  Canada
World Championship
2011 AustriaTeam Competition

Early life

Hajrullahu was born in Kosovo and fled to Canada when he was eight years old on a refugee flight to escape war.[1][2] He started playing football in grade 10 at Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines, Ontario.[1]

Professional career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Hajrullahu was signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on January 17, 2014.[3] He was the West Division nominee for the John Agro Special Teams Award in 2014.[4]

Toronto Argonauts

Hajrullahu became a free agent on February 9, 2016 and signed with the Toronto Argonauts that same day.[5]

He became the first player to score points in the first regular-season CFL game at BMO Field on June 23, 2016. Oddly enough, he scored the first CFL points for both a visiting team and the Argonauts. He conceded a safety to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then later kicked a field goal for the Argos. Hamilton won the game, 40–23.[6]

During the 2017 season, Hajrullahu kicked the game winning field goal to secure a win in the 105th Grey Cup for Toronto.[7]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On February 13, 2018, Hajrullahu signed a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats worth roughly CA$145,000.[8] During the season, Hajrullahu converted 85% of his field goals, while the Ti-Cats advanced in the playoffs to the East final before being eliminated. Despite receiving NFL interest, including a workout with the Seattle Seahawks, Hajrullahu took his time in choosing a team for 2019; he eventually signed a 2-year contract to return to Hamilton after six weeks of free agency.[9][10] He was named a CFL East Division All-Star for the second time in his career for the season. While he would have been in the option year of his contract following the 2019 season, the NFL would not allow its teams to sign CFL players entering these option years.[11] After there was still no resolution to this issue, the Tiger-Cats outright released Hajrullahu on January 9, 2020, to allow him to pursue NFL opportunities.[12]

Los Angeles Rams

On April 13, 2020, Hajrullahu signed a contract with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League.[13] He was waived on September 4, 2020, after losing the kicker job to rookie Sam Sloman.[14]

Hajrullahu signed with the Generals of The Spring League in November 2020.[15]

Carolina Panthers

On December 9, 2020, Hajrullahu was signed to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad,[16] but was released six days later due to a work visa problem.[17][18] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 4, 2021.[19]

References
  1. Martin, Melissa (June 18, 2014). "Life, precious life: Bombers kicker, and former refugee, treasures it for many reasons". winnipegfreepress.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  2. Penton, Kirk (October 6, 2014). "Blue Bombers kicker Lirim Hajrullahu took a long, hard road to the CFL". winnipegsun.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  3. "Lirim Hajrullahu signs with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers". westernmustangs.ca. January 17, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. "HAJRULLAHU NAMED WEST DIVISION'S MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER". bluebombers.com. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  5. "Argos sign Canadian kicker Hajrullahu". Argonauts.ca. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  6. "2016-06-23 Game Tracker – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts (2276)". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  7. "Hajrullahu's field goal earns Argos stunning Grey Cup win over Stampeders". www.iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  8. "Ticats sign Canadian K/P Lirim Hajrullahu – CFL.ca". CFL.ca. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  9. Dunk, Justin (April 1, 2019). "Ticats bring kicker Lirim Hajrullahu back – 3DownNation". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  10. "Lirim Hajrullahu signs two-year deal with Ticats". Canadian Football League. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  11. Naylor, Dave (December 5, 2019). "Players stuck in limbo with NFL window issues unresolved". TSN. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  12. "Ticats release Hajrullahu to pursue NFL opportunities". Canadian Football League. January 9, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  13. "Rams agree to terms with kickers Austin MacGinnis and Lirim Hajrullahu". therams.com. April 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  14. "Rams waive 17 players ahead of 53-man roster deadline". TheRams.com. September 4, 2020.
  15. "Generals roster". TheSpringLeague.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  16. Gantt, Darin (December 9, 2020). "Week 14 Wednesday Injury Report: Christian McCaffrey limited by quad injury". Panthers.com. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  17. Crabtree, Curtis (December 15, 2020). "Panthers to waive kicker Lirim Hajrullahu due to work visa issues". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  18. Bryan, Will [@Pantherstatsguy] (December 15, 2020). "#Panthers have released K Lirim Hajrullahu and signed LB Chris Orr back to practice squad. Also activated DT Bruce Hector from practice squad/COVID-19 list" (Tweet). Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  19. Bryan, Will (January 4, 2021). "Panthers sign 14 players to reserve future contracts for 2021". Panthers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.