Titans Part Ways With Longtime Punter Brett Kern

/in /by

Brett Kern. Photo: Courtesy of the Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have decided to move on from veteran punter Brett Kern as the team looks for Ryan Stonehouse to fill the position.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Kern has been one of the team’s most celebrated players since joining the organization in 2009, where he began adding his name to the top the franchise’s leaderboards at his position.

Kern also served as a captain in each of the past two seasons.

“Brett embodies everything we look for in players for the Tennessee Titans,” Titans GM Jon Robinson says in a statement. “He has been at the top of his game for a long time in this league, has been an outstanding leader for us, and has been an excellent representation of the Titans in our community. I’m blessed to have worked with him, and on behalf of the entire organization, we wish him all the best moving forward.”

Kern is the organization’s all-time leading punter with 923 career punts. He’s also the team’s all-time career leader in gross punting average (45.9 yards), net punting average (40.8) and punts placed inside the 20 (373). Kern owns the top nine net punting seasons in franchise history and six of the team’s top eight gross punting seasons.

Kern took to social media to thank the Titans and fans for his 12 years with the organization.

With 197 career games with the Titans, Kern ranks fourth in franchise history behind Bruce Matthews (296), Elvin Bethea (210) and Brad Hopkins (194). Kern’s total is the most for any player during the franchise’s “Titans era” since 1999.

With 13 seasons played in a Titans uniform, Kern tied Hopkins for the third-most in team history, trailing only Matthews (19) and Bethea (16). Kern is one of two players, along with Derrick Morgan, who has played for every head coach the Titans have had since their move to Tennessee.

Prior to Kern’s arrival, no punter for the organization had averaged 40.0 net punting yards in a season. Kern produced seven such seasons with the Titans.

Since he entered the NFL with the Broncos in 2008, Kern’s career statistics include 996 punts, a 45.9-yard average, a 40.5 net average and 395 punts placed inside the 20. Only Andy Lee (1,010) and Sam Koch (1,004) have recorded more punts than Kern during that span.

Tennessee’s new punter, Stonehouse, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, averaged 50.2 yards, with a 41.3-yard net, on his 13 punts during the preseason while placing six of them inside the 20.

The Titans must be down to 53 players by today, Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 2 p.m. CT.

Steven Boero
Latest posts by Steven Boero (see all)