The Montreal Alouettes have signed veteran defensive end Shawn Lemon to a one-year contract extension through the 2024 season, per sources.
Lemon played 13 games for the Als after signing with the team in late July. He recorded 26 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions, one touchdown and one forced fumble. The 35-year-old had five tackles and two sacks in the Eastern Semi-Final, two tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in the Eastern Final to go along with three tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack in the 110th Grey Cup — four sacks in three playoff wins.
In 2022, Lemon recorded a personal best 29 defensive tackles and 14 quarterback sacks plus five forced fumbles, earning a CFL all-star selection along with the West Division nomination for the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.
The six-foot-one, 242-pound defensive lineman has appeared in 148 regular-season CFL games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Elks, Ottawa Redblacks, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions, winning three CFL championships — 2014, 2017 and 2023.
He has registered 237 defensive tackles, 101 sacks, 30 forced fumbles and three interceptions with one touchdown in his career. Lemon is the CFL’s active leader in sacks after becoming the 13th player in league history to go over 100 — data since 1981.
All-time CFL career sack list:
- Grover Covington — 157 sacks | 168 games | 0.93 sacks per game
- Elfrid Payton — 153 sacks | 205 games | 0.75 sacks per game
- Bobby Jurasin — 140 sacks | 199 games | 0.70 sacks per game
- James Parker — 139.5 sacks | 161 games | 0.87 sacks per game
- Joe Montford — 135 sacks | 185 games | 0.73 sacks per game
- John Bowman — 134 sacks | 230 games | 0.58 sacks per game
- Charleston Hughes — 132 sacks | 190 games | 0.69 sacks per game
- Vince Goldsmith — 130.5 sacks | 163 games | 0.80 sacks per game
- Steward Hill — 126 sacks | 164 games | 0.77 sacks per game
- Tyrone Jones — 110 sacks | 151 games | 0.73 sacks per game
- Rodney Harding — 105 sacks | 201 games | 0.52 sacks per game
- Odell Willis — 101 sacks | 191 games | 0.53 sacks per game
- Shawn Lemon — 101 sacks | 148 games | 0.68 sacks per game
Lemon has the same sack total as Willis but in 43 fewer games.
Overall, it’s a Hall of Fame resume for the ageless pass rusher.
