Introduction
Brett Kern (born February 17, 1986) is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Toledo.
College career
Kern played college football at the University of Toledo for coach Tom Amstutz. The MAC Report Online named Kern the Mid-American Conference’s ‘’Special Teams Player of the Year’’ in 2007. Kern was also a finalist for the Ray Guy Award in 2007. That year, he averaged 46.5 yards per punt, second in the nation.
Professional career
Denver Broncos
Kern won the starting punter for the 2008 Broncos, winning the job over competitor Sam Paulescu.
During his rookie season with the Broncos Kern attempted 46 punts for an average of 46.7, his longest punt of the year was 64 yards against the San Diego Chargers in week 2. He gave away one touchdown this year against the Oakland Raiders in week 12 when Johnnie Lee Higgins took the punt back 89 yards for the score.
Despite having the 3rd highest yards per punt average in NFL history, Kern was waived by the Broncos.
Tennessee Titans
Kern was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans replacing Reggie Hodges. At the time Kern was released from the Broncos and claimed by the Titans, the Broncos were 6-0 while the Titans were 0-6. A subsequent Titans winning streak and Broncos losing streak led to a situation where teams with Kern on the roster had compiled a record of 11-0 to begin the season, despite the two teams being a collective 12-10 overall in that period. On March 8, 2015, Kern was signed to a five-year $15 million contract
by the Tennessee Titans.
Personal
Kern is the son of Cal Kern, owner of the amateur Niagara Power baseball team. Kern is a 2004 graduate of Grand Island High School where he was All-New York State as a senior and a member of the schools Section VI championship . Following graduation from high school, Kern represented New York State in the New York-New Jersey Governor's Bowl played at the United States Military Academy at West Point.