Devon Kennard
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Devon Kennard (born June 24, 1991) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
who is a free agent, and an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He was drafted by the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
in the fifth round of the
2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. In 2018, Kennard signed with the Detroit Lions. He was team captain in 2018 and 2019 and nominated for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award in 2019. 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
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
and graduated with an undergraduate and master’s degree in Communication Management.


High school career

As a sophomore in 2006, Kennard recorded 81
tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
and seven
quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...
s. During his junior year, he had 111 tackles and 24 ½ sacks, helping the Desert Vista Thunder to the Class 5A Division I title game. For his senior year, Kennard was expected to play both
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
and tailback on offense for the Thunder in addition to his
defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...
duties, until top tailback Marcus Washington, an
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
recruit, returned from a
stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...
in his leg. In Desert Vista's 21–20 victory over Chandler High School, Kennard suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, causing him to miss the rest of the football season. On the season Kennard had 16 carries for 132 yards with five
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s. Defensively, he had 18 tackles and 1½ sacks while facing double and triple teams. He played in the 2009
U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
. Recruited by over forty schools nationwide, Kennard initially considered
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
,
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, and
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
. He eventually cut his list to California, Texas and USC. Kennard attended summer camps with USC following his sophomore and junior seasons in high school, and grew close to USC-commit
Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...
. At one point, Barkley and Kennard were ranked #1 and #2 for overall prospects in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com. He was rated the No. 1 defensive prospect by a
CSTV CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known as ...
analyst, and the top defensive end by
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
.Trojans score No. 1 defensive end Devon Kennard
ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc., January 27, 2009, Accessed January 28, 2009.
Kennard called the recruiting process "a business," telling his local paper, "They're trying to go after good players. They think you're a good player, and that's an honor, but they think somebody else is a good player, too. If you get all caught up, your head is going to get huge. I consider the whole process a business. It's a business on my end and on theirs. They've got to try to get the best players and I've got to try to go to the best program for me." Kennard announced his decision to attend USC at press conference on January 27, 2009.


College career

In his
true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
year at USC, Kennard began the season as a backup defensive end, but by midseason was seeing key action primarily in pass rushing situations. He then was moved to
strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
. Appearing in 12 games and starting in five, he had 34 tackles, including 2 for losses, plus 3 deflections, 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble. He made the 2009 Pac-10 All-Freshman first-teams by ''ESPN'' and ''Sporting News'', and won USC's John McKay Award. In 2010, Kennard was moved and started at a third position,
middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
, where he played in all thirteen games, with games starts, and had 72 tackles, including 7 for losses with 2 sacks. Kennard moved back to defensive end for the 2011 season, where he played in all twelve games, with five starts, and 29 tackles, including 4 for losses (with 2 sacks, one which resulted in a safety). Kennard sat out the 2012 season with a torn chest muscle. In 2013, Kennard started all thirteen games at
outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
, recording 60 tackles and team-highs of 13.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and ten quarterbacks hits. He made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and was named a Lott Trophy Finalist. Kennard graduated from the University of Southern California with an undergraduate degree in Communications and a master’s degree in Communication Management, with a focus in business management. He completed his undergraduate degree in 3 years, his master's in 1.5 years, and maintained a 3.8 GPA.


Professional career

On December 12, 2013, it was announced that Kennard had accepted his invitation to play in the
East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
. On January 18, 2014, Kennard recorded two solo tackles as part of Romeo Crennel's West team that lost 23–13 to the East in the 2014 East-West Shrine Game. Kennard attended the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 12, 2014, he participated at USC's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. Kennard attended a pre-draft visit with the New York Giants and impressed the coaching staff with his intelligence. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kennard was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 17th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 26th best linebacker by
Scouts Inc. Scouts Inc. is a partner of ESPN Inc. that specializes in scouting and evaluating current and future players and teams in professional, college and high school sports. The content is provided on the ESPN television networks, ESPN Radio and ESPN in ...


New York Giants

The
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
selected Kennard in the fifth round (174th overall) of the
2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. Kennard was the 24th linebacker drafted in 2014 and one of three players from USC.


2014

On May 19, 2014, the New York Giants signed Kennard to a four-year, $2.36 million
contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
that includes a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $144,560. Throughout training camp, Kennard competed against
Mark Herzlich Mark Herzlich Jr. (born September 1, 1987) is a former American football linebacker and current sports commentator. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and played all seven seasons of his professional career w ...
to be the backup middle linebacker, but also worked out at outside linebacker. Head coach
Tom Coughlin Thomas Richard Coughlin ( ; born August 31, 1946) is a former American football coach and executive. He was the head coach for the New York Giants from 2004 to 2015. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, both time ...
named Kennard a backup outside linebacker to begin the season in 2014, behind starters
Jameel McClain Jameel Lashawn McClain (born July 25, 1985) is a former American football linebacker who is currently the Director of Player Engagement for the Baltimore Ravens. After playing college football for Syracuse University, he was signed by the Ravens a ...
and
Jacquian Williams Jacquian Williams (born July 20, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Florida. College career Fort Scott Williams began his c ...
. He made his professional regular season debut in the New York Giants' season-opening 35–14 loss at 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 ...
. Kennard was inactive for the next three games (Weeks 2–4) due to a
hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...
injury. In Week 11, Kennard earned his first career start after Jacquian Williams sustained a concussion the previous week. Kennard finished the Giants' 16–10 loss to the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
with a season-high nine combined tackles. He remained the starter after Williams was placed on injured reserve. On November 30, 2014, Kennard recorded three combined tackles and a season-high two sacks during a 25–24 loss at the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
in Week 13. Kennard made his first career sack on Jaguars' quarterback
Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is a former American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on ...
for a nine-yard loss in the third quarter. The following week, Kennard recorded six solo tackles and tied his season-high of two sacks in the Giants' 36–7 win at the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
in Week 14. He made both his sacks on Titans' quarterback
Zach Mettenberger Zachary Rich Mettenberger (born July 16, 1991) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons, primarily with the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at LSU and was selected ...
. Kennard was inactive in the Giants' Week 17 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
after sustaining a toe the previous week. He finished his rookie season in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
with 43 combined tackles (35 solo), 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 12 games and six starts.


2015

On January 7, 2015, the New York Giants fired defensive coordinator
Perry Fewell Perry Fewell (born September 7, 1962) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the senior vice president of officiating administration for the National Football League's officiating department. Previously, he served as the defensive ...
after the defense ranked 29th in the league in 2015. On January 15, 2015, the New York Giants hired the Baltimore Ravens' former secondary coach
Steve Spagnuolo Stephen Christopher Spagnuolo (; born December 21, 1959) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He rejoined Andy Reid after being a defensive assistant wit ...
to be their new defensive coordinator. During training camp in 2015, Kennard competed to be a starting outside linebacker against Mark Herzlich, J. T. Thomas, and
Jonathan Casillas Jonathan Casillas (born June 3, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played high school football at New Brunswick High School and college football at Wisconsin. He is of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry. College career ...
. Head coach Tom Coughlin named Kennard the starting strongside linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside J.T. Thomas and starting middle linebacker
Jon Beason Jonathan Beason (born January 14, 1985) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round o ...
. In Week 2, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) and deflected a pass during a 24–20 loss to the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. On October 4, 2015, Kennard made five combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception in the Giants' 24–10 win at the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in Week 4. Kennard made his first career interception off a pass by Bills' quarterback
Tyrod Taylor Tyrod Diallo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the 2009 Orange Bowl as a Sophomore ...
, that was originally intended for tight end Charles Clay, in the first quarter. He missed two games (Weeks 5–6) due to a
hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...
injury he suffered in Week 4. In Week 12, he tied his season-high of ten combined tackles (five solo) in a 20–14 loss at the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. He missed four games (Weeks 13–16) due injuries to his foot and hamstring. On December 28, 2015, the New York Giants officially placed Kennard on season-ending injured reserve due injuries to his foot and hamstring. Kennard finished the season with 58 combined tackles (37 solo), four pass deflections, and one interception in nine games and nine starts.


2016

On January 5, 2016, New York Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin announced his resignation as head coach. On January 14, 2016, the New York Giants promoted offensive coordinator
Ben McAdoo Benjamin Lee McAdoo (born July 9, 1977) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as a consultant for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 and quart ...
to head coach. Kennard entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker. Head coach Ben McAdoo as named him the starting strongside linebacker, alongside
Jonathan Casillas Jonathan Casillas (born June 3, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played high school football at New Brunswick High School and college football at Wisconsin. He is of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry. College career ...
and starting middle linebacker
Kelvin Sheppard Kelvin Anthony Sheppard (born January 2, 1988) is a former American football linebacker and coach who is the inside linebackers coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third ...
. In Week 5, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles during a 23–16 loss at 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 ...
. Kennard recorded 61 combined tackles (40 solo), one sack, one pass defensed, and a forced fumble in 16 games and nine starts. The
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
finished second in the
NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys ...
with an 11–5 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 8, 2017, Kennard appeared in his first career playoff game and made two combined tackles as the Giants lost 38–13 at the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard Game.


2017

Kennard returned as the starting strongside linebacker in 2017. He started alongside Jonathan Casillas and starting middle linebacker
B. J. Goodson B.J. Goodson (born May 29, 1993) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Clemson University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. High school career A native of Lamar ...
. in Week 7, he collected a season-high five combined tackles during a 24–7 loss to 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 ...
. Kennard was inactive for the Giants' Week 10 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
due to a
quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...
injury. On December 4, 2017, the New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo after they began the season with a 2–10 record. Kennard finished the
2017 NFL season The 2017 NFL season was the 98th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 7, 2017, with Kansas City defeating defending Super Bowl LI champion New England in ...
with 41 combined tackles (24 solo), four sacks, and two pass deflections in 15 games and 11 starts.


Detroit Lions


2018

On March 15, 2018, 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 ...
signed Kennard to a three-year, $17.25 million contract that includes $8.50 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $5.25 million. Kennard entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker. Head coach
Matt Patricia Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach who is the senior football advisor and offensive line coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He has served 15 non-consecutive sea ...
named Kennard the starting outside linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside Christian Jones and starting middle linebacker Jarrad Davis. On September 9, 2018, Kennard was voted team captain by his teammates. On September 16, 2018, Kennard recorded four combined tackles and made two sacks on 49ers' quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
during a 30–27 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in Week 2.


2019

In Week 1 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 ...
, Kennard sacked rookie quarterback
Kyler Murray Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M, Murray played college football at University of Okl ...
three times in the 27-27 tie. In week 12 against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, Kennard recorded a strip sack on
Dwayne Haskins Dwayne Haskins Jr. (May 3, 1997 – April 9, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He played college football at Ohio State, where he set the Big Ten Conference records fo ...
which was recovered by teammate
Tavon Wilson Tavon Wilson (born March 19, 1990) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Illinois, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. With the Patri ...
in the 19–16 loss. On March 17, 2020, Kennard was released by the Lions.


Arizona Cardinals

On March 21, 2020, Kennard signed a three–year contract with 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 ...
. In Week 2 against the
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, Kennard recorded his first sack of the season during the 30–15 win. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
list by the team on November 2, 2020, and activated on November 11. Kennard was voted the NFL Player Association representative by his teammates (NY Giants, Detroit Lions, AZ Cardinals) consecutively from 2016 – 2020. As an NFLPA representative, Kennard works with the NFL and has a voting role. Devon voted on the new collective bargaining agreement that took effect for the 2021 season. Kennard entered the 2021 season third on the outside linebacker depth chart. He played in 15 games with three starts, recording 24 tackles. On August 30, 2022, Kennard was released by the Cardinals and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 20, 2022. He was released on October 15.


Baltimore Ravens

Kennard signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad on October 18, 2022. He was released on December 5.


Real estate investment Entrepreneur

Kennard began real estate investing early in his career. His real estate business is invested in over 35 real estate properties in the US, including single-family homes, apartment complexes, senior living spaces, and medical facilities. He mentors youth and works with athletes and young professionals to develop financial literacy and success through real estate investment and other financial strategies.


Personal life

Kennard graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Communications in the spring of 2012 and a master’s degree in Communication Management, with a focus in business management. He completed his undergraduate degree in 3 years, his master's in 1.5 years, and maintained a 3.8 GPA. He maintained the team's highest GPA. Kennard made the 2011 Pac-12 All-Academic second-team and 2010 Pac-10 All-Academic second-team. He and 15 of his USC teammates spent 5 days in Haiti in the spring of 2012 building homes and assisting those in need. He was selected to be one of USC's representatives at the 2011 APPLE (Athletic Prevention Programming and Leadership Education) Conference in Austin, Tex., designed to promote student-athlete health and wellness. Kennard is the son of
Derek Kennard Derek Craig Kennard (born September 9, 1962) is a former American football guard and center in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Los Ange ...
, who played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
with 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 ...
, the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
and the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, helping the latter to win
Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. The elder Kennard, a native of
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
, attended the
University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...
.


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Detroit Lions bioNew York Giants bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennard, Devon 1991 births Living people Players of American football from Phoenix, Arizona American football defensive ends USC Trojans football players New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Arizona Cardinals players