Lance Ronnie Kendricks (born January 30, 1988) is a former
American football tight end. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Wisconsin, where he was recognized as a consensus
All-American. He was drafted by the
St. Louis Rams in the second round of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
.
Early years
Kendricks was born in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended
Rufus King International Baccalaureate High School in Milwaukee, where he played for the Rufus King Generals
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
basketball teams. In football, he was a two-time all-city selection, the Generals'
most valuable player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
(MVP) as a junior and senior, and the team captain as a senior. He caught 42 passes for 640 yards as a senior, and totaled 102 receptions for 1,905 yards during his high school career. He was also a member of the Generals
track and field team, where he was one of the state's top performers in the jumping events. He was a four-time AAU
triple jump champion. At the
WIAA Division 1 State Championship, he finished third in the triple jump as a sophomore and second as a junior.
College career
Kendricks attended the
University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played on the
Wisconsin Badgers football team from 2007 to 2010. As a senior in 2010, he was a finalist for the
John Mackey Award, received first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was recognized as a consensus first-team
All-American.
Kendricks also competed for the Badgers track team in 2007. At the
Big Ten Indoor Championships, he placed 12th in the triple jump. He also participated in the
long jump event at the Big Ten Conference, where he took 21st.
College statistics
Professional career
St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams
The
St. Louis Rams selected Kendricks in the second round (47th overall) of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
.
On June 29, 2011, he signed a contract with the Rams. He made his NFL debut on September 11, 2011, catching one pass for 18 yards against the
Philadelphia Eagles. On October 4, 2012, he recorded his first career touchdown on a 7-yard pass from
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...
against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. On March 11, 2015, the Rams signed Kendricks to a four-year, $18.5 million contract extension that included $10 million guaranteed. However, he was released by the Rams on March 10, 2017.
Green Bay Packers
On March 11, 2017, the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
signed Kendricks to a two-year, $4 million contract that included a $1.2 million signing bonus. On September 10, 2017, in his Packers debut, he had 2 receptions for 18 yards against the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. On September 24, 2017, Kendricks caught his first touchdown with the Packers on a 1 yard pass from quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
in a 27–24 win over the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. On October 7, 2018, he caught his first touchdown of the 2018 season from Rodgers in a 31–23 loss to the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
.
New England Patriots
On July 24, 2019, Kendricks was signed by the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. He was suspended the first game of the season for violating the league's policy on substances of abuse. He was released from the Patriots on September 9, 2019.
Los Angeles Chargers
On September 17, 2019, Kendricks was signed by the
Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Personal life
Kendricks was stopped for a speeding violation in the early morning hours of September 2, 2017, while heading back to Green Bay from a
Wisconsin Badgers football game. He was let go with a warning, but a citation for marijuana possession was issued in December 2017 as a result of a search during the traffic stop. The citation was dismissed in October 2018 but later that month, Kendricks was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. In January 2019, an attorney for Kendricks entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Kendricks later pled no contest and was sentenced to six months probation, with the charge to be dropped if eight hours of community service was completed.
References
External links
Los Angeles Chargers bioGreen Bay Packers bioLos Angeles Rams bioWisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendricks, Lance
1988 births
Living people
Players of American football from Milwaukee
American football wide receivers
American football tight ends
Wisconsin Badgers football players
All-American college football players
St. Louis Rams players
Los Angeles Rams players
Green Bay Packers players
New England Patriots players
Los Angeles Chargers players
Rufus King International High School alumni
Ed Block Courage Award recipients