The Los Angeles Rams have begun the process of replacing Greg Zuerlein as their primary kicker, agreeing to terms with two players on Monday. It was first reported that the Rams were signing Lirim Hajrullahu, formerly of the CFL, but they also added ex-XFL kicker Austin MacGinnis the mix, too.
Hajrullahu isn’t a name many fans know after he spent the last six years in the CFL, but he’s been one of the best kickers in that league during his career, being named a two-time All-Star.
Here are five things to know about Hajrullahu.
Made the game-winning field goal in the Grey Cup
Hajrullahu has championship pedigree, helping the Toronto Argonauts win the 105th Grey Cup in the 2017 season. He made the game-winning field goal in that game to send Toronto home with the title. It was a 32-yarder with 53 seconds remaining, and the team’s only field goal in the game.
That season, Hajrullahu made 49 of 61 field goal attempts, including 2-for-3 in the playoffs with a long of 35 yards.
Doubled as a punter for 6 seasons
Hajrullahu wasn’t just a kicker in the CFL. He also doubled as the punter on each of his three teams, booting away at least 95 punts in all six seasons. He finished his career with an average of 44.1 yards per punt and a long of 83 yards, which he kicked in 2014 as a rookie.
His best season in net yardage came in 2018 when he averaged 45 yards per punt on 95 attempts, with 3,326 net yards. In 2015, despite missing one game, Hajrullahu had 5,729 gross yards, third-most in the CFL.
Fled from Kosovo to escape war
Hajrullahu was born in Kosovo in 1990, but he only spent the first nine years of his life there. A war broke out in his home country when he was eight, and a year later, he fled to Canada with his family.
He started playing football in the 10th grade in Canada and attended the University of Western Ontario, where he played for the Mustangs.
Made 83.3% of his FGs in the CFL
Hajrullahu was one of the top kickers in the CFL during his time there, making 83.3% of his field goal attempts across six seasons. That includes a down year in 2015 when he made just 22 of his 32 tries (68.8%). In each of his other five seasons, Hajrullahu made at least 81% of his attempts.
His best season was in 2016 when he made 37 of 42 field goal tries (88.1%) with a long of 53 yards. His career-long is 56 yards, which came in 2019.
Has been deadly from 50-plus yards
There may not be a kicker in any league that’s been better than Hajrullahu from 50-plus yards recently. He finished his CFL career going 19-for-23 from at least 50 yards out, but more impressively, he made his last 10 attempts since 2018.
Kicking in the colder temperatures in Canada isn’t easy, either, nor was making field goals at Tim Hortons Field with the Tiger-Cats. It’ll get easier for him if he makes the Rams with Los Angeles playing indoors at SoFi Stadium.
