From stardom at West Seattle High School to a brilliant college career at Idaho, Aaron Grymes never had any issues putting in the work required to become a professional. And after six CFL seasons plus a stint down south with the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s safe to say that determination has paid off. The BC Lions defensive back is also one of the nicer more down to earth guys you would ever meet without football pads on. That just adds an even more ‘feel good’ element to his story. We now present 5 Things To Know featuring Aaron Grymes!
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Enjoyed A Solid Career At Idaho
Grymes made the move from his home in Seattle to the campus in Moscow, Idaho and would go on to enjoy a very solid career with the Vandals. He made the team as a true freshman in 2009 and suited up in 50 games over four seasons while recording 172 total tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Grymes points to games against big programs like Nebraska and LSU team that featured Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry as helping him prepare for the big stage of professional football. And he still makes Moscow his offseason home with wife Hannah and two daughters: six-year-old Zoey and one-year-old Flora. Speaking of his two little kids…..
Aaron Has 11 Tattoos
And just like a lot of guys who have plenty of ink, we asked Aaron if there was any true meaning to his tattoos. He only considers two of them to be significant: he has each of his daughter’s footprints among those 11 tattoos. That’s a pretty cool nugget about a guy who has spent a lot of time during this COVID shutdown taking advantage of the extra time with his loved ones.
His Pro Coming Out Party Was in 2015
Grymes’ third season with Edmonton would also be his best in the CFL to date. Along with recording a career-high four interceptions and scoring the only touchdown of his career, Grymes was named both a West Division and CFL All-Star. He capped off the brilliant season by helping Edmonton sip from the Grey Cup in late November. Ironically, that Grey Cup win came against current BC Lions head coach Rick Campbell.
He Parlayed That Success Into NFL Contract
Shortly after hoisting the Grey Cup, Grymes signed with the Philadelphia Eagles where he would spend most of 2016 on the practice squad but was promoted to the active roster in November of that year. He remained with the Eagles until the end of next year’s training camp and would return north to Edmonton for the remaining six games of 2017.
An Old Friend Helped Him Recover
Grymes was enjoying a very productive first season in orange until a torn ACL suffered in Edmonton on October 11th brought it to a grinding halt. Like any true competitor, Aaron was crushed. Until a text message the next day from friend and former teammate J.C. Sherritt gave him a much-needed boost of confidence.
“He said ‘you’ve had your 24 hours. It’s time to get back on your road to recovery.’ Just seeing that from him and having him in my corner was all I needed to get going,” Grymes told bclions.com earlier this year.
Aaron then hit the rehab trail hard and was on track to return at some point during training camp in May or early June. His hard work also earned him a new two-year contract with the Lions through 2021. Now he can’t wait to get the chance to be back on the field with his teammates.