Rush end Aaron Lynch hopes to revive his career with the Alouettes

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ST-JÉRÔME — After not playing football for the past three seasons, Aaron Lynch is hoping the third time will be the charm in an effort to revive his career.

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That the journey on the comeback trail has culminated in Alouette’s training camp, where he tried to play in a league he knew nothing about while terrorizing NFL quarterbacks for years, makes the scenario more intriguing.

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“I love football,” Lynch said after Tuesday’s two practices at the Claude Beaulieu Multisport Center, only his second day on the field and more than a week after camp started. “I have been retired for three years. I wanted to play football, so I came to Canada.”

The 6-foot-1, 280-pound Lynch was a fifth-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2014 out of the University of South Florida. He spent seven seasons in the NFL and also played for the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. And Lynch made a name for himself with 111 tackles, 21 quarterback sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery in 81 games, including 22 starts.

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He also earned just under $9.7 million over the course of his career before retiring in 2020.

Lynch is far from the first big-name former NFL player to venture north in an attempt to revive his career. And most of those stories end in failure because the players can’t adapt to the CFL rules and the speed of the game. Not only was Lynch not signed after working out for the Cleveland Browns last March, he also did not receive a contract offer from Miami after recently attending the Dolphins’ rookie minicamp.

Lynch is 31 and should be considered a gamble on this latest effort. But he also arrived humbled and willing to learn. Much will be predicted on Saturday’s opener against Toronto at Molson Stadium. He remains one of eight defensive ends still in camp. That list includes returning players Shawn Lemon, Avery Ellis and Canadian Brock Gowanlock. The team also added non-import Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund from Calgary via free agency.

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“I don’t know what’s going on,” said the Cleveland native, who now calls Jacksonville home. “For me it’s all up in the air. I don’t know what they think or what they expect. I’m just going to come here and do my best after the long break I had. I’m going to do my best and hopefully make the team. I’m sure it’s up in the air.”

In addition to trying to improve his conditioning, Lynch said he will be ready to play against the Argonauts. And he quickly added that he felt better on Tuesday than the day before.

“You have no choice,” he declared. “I think I have enough talent to come and play here. I played at a high level when I was in the NFL. It wasn’t like I was in the NFL and just around. I think I can do well here. But anything can happen.”

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Defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe likes what he’s seen from Lynch in a short time, and is particularly impressed with his size and athleticism.

“His size stands out to everyone,” Thorpe said. “For his size, this is an athletic guy. He brings power to the point of attack. We’re getting him used to defense, and he’s only going to get better every day he practices with us. He has an NFL pedigree. He played a lot of games and was productive.

“The plan is to play him in Saturday’s game. You know what it’s like in this competition, where you stand with limited numbers and injuries due to training camp. You’re going to bring in new guys who only have a few days to prepare and get in shape. We want to put guys in a position so they can have success and showcase their talent.”

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Lynch, the married father of four boys, stayed in the game as a high school coach. He also opened a dog daycare business which he subsequently sold. But like many who retired before they were mentally prepared, he missed the field and the camaraderie in the locker room. His agent and the Als quickly reached an agreement on contract terms last Friday, and Lynch boarded a plane north on Sunday.

Lynch was most productive during his four seasons with San Francisco, but he was perhaps at his best in 2015, when he recorded 38 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 14 games.

“I was a good pass rusher,” he stated unequivocally. “I like going after the quarterback. I’m a football player. I’ve always had the opportunity to play. Once the game starts, it’s game time. As I sat at home watching my friends play, I thought I should start playing again because I missed it too much.

“I was outside for three years. Everyone wants to know if I still have it, is he committed? It’s just about getting your name out there again, and letting them know that Lynch means business; he wants to keep playing. He can still play. He’s not washed up. That’s what it’s about.”

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