Tennessee Titans great and former punter Brett Kern has announced his retirement from the NFL, the team revealed on Thursday morning.
Kern no doubt endeared himself to fans over his 13 years with the Titans, but he was also routinely one of the best punters in the NFL in that span. There’s zero question he’ll be talked about among the franchise’s greats for years to come.
“It’s been hard,” Kern said of his retirement, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “It’s also brought back a lot of memories, too. You want to be able to thank a ton of people who helped you over the years, and all the memories from games, from teammates and coaches, conversations in the locker rooms, and road trips.
#Titans P Brett Kern, who spent 13 yrs w/ team, announces his retirement.
–Concludes career as Titans' leader in punts (923), gross punting average (45.9 yards), net punting average (40.8) and punts placed inside the 20 (373).
–3rd in franchise history w/ 197 games played.— John Glennon (@glennonsports) June 1, 2023
“To try and get 15 years into 3-4 pages on Microsoft Word, it’s been pretty challenging. It’s been emotional, too, just thinking back at certain memories. It’s also emotional just because there’s such a sense of gratitude to a lot of people who have helped me get this far. And, just knowing it’s closing a chapter on a really important part of my life and starting a new one.”
Kern and the Titans will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. CDT on Thursday to make his retirement official.