Who is Brett Kern?

Brett Kern is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). Born on February 17, 1986, he played college football at Toledo and was undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft. 

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He was then drafted by Denver Broncos as a free agent in 2008. Kern beat out rival Sam Paulescu for the starting punter position with the Broncos. In his first year with the franchise, Kern tried 46 punts, averaging 46.7 yards per attempt. Against the then Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) in the season opener, he had two punts for 80 net yards and a 40.0 average, marking his NFL debut. A 64-yarder against the San Diego Chargers in Week 2 was Kern’s longest punt of the season.

In his second season as a pro, Kern continued to serve as the Broncos’ punter. He recorded a season-high eight punts in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, which resulted in 340 net yards and a 42.5 average. He has 64 punts for 2,910 net yards and a 45.47 average during the 2009 campaign.

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Kern was released by the Broncos on October 26, 2009, despite having the third-best yards per punt average in NFL history. Then, Tennessee Titans claimed him off waivers. Kern made his Titans debut on November 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He averaged 48.25 on his four punts, which covered 193 net yards. In total, he punted 64 times for 2,910 yards in 2009, averaging 45.47 yards per punt. Throughout the 2010 campaign, Kern remained the Titans’ punter. He recorded a season-high 50.0 average on four punts for 200 net yards in the season opener against the Raiders. He punted 77 times for 3,302 net yards overall and a 42.88 average in 2010.

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On February 24, Kern extended his Titans contract for a further four years and $5.2 million, with $2.1 million guaranteed. Kern had 86 punts for 3,747 net yards and a 43.57 average for the 2011 campaign. He punted 81 times for 3,855 yards overall and a 47.59 average in 2012. He punted 78 times for 3,386 net yards overall and a 43.41 average in 2013. Kern had 88 punts for 4,118 net yards and a 46.80 average for the 2014 campaign.

Kern and the Titans agreed to a five-year, $15 million contract extension on March 8, 2015. He totaled 88 punts for 4,175 net yards in 2015, at an average of 47.44. He completed the 2016 campaign with 77 punts for 3,402 net yards, a 44.18 average. In Week 5 of the 2017 campaign, Kern had a career-high 10 punts for a franchise-record 549 net yards and a 54.9 average against the Miami Dolphins. Kern received his first Pro Bowl selection on December 19, 2017. His 75 punts for 3,728 net yards and 49.71 average for the 2017 campaign set a franchise record. The All-Pro second team selected Kern.

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Kern was selected to play in his second Pro Bowl on December 18, 2018. At the end of the year, Kern had 74 punts, 39 of which were inside the 20. Kern and the Titans agreed to a four-year, $12.55 million contract extension on March 7. Kern was chosen for his third consecutive Pro Bowl on December 17, 2019. He was named to the First Team All-Pro and set a league record with 37 punts inside the 20-yard line.