Upon learning of punter Ryan Stonehouse’s season-ending injury, Tennessee Titans fans and media alike wondered aloud about possibly reuniting with franchise great, Brett Kern, who retired this offseason.
The idea certainly makes sense, as Kern still lives in Nashville and is less than a year removed from having played in a game with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team he signed with late last year after the Titans cut him for Stonehouse in August.
Kern clearly struggled in his final season, with the 37-year-old totaling a career-low 36.6 yards per punt in four regular season games with Philly. He was, however, better in the playoffs, where he sported an average of 44.1.
Truth be told, the Titans don’t need a world-beater back there, as this team is firmly in position to miss the playoffs once again. I do think Kern would still be a better option than most.
In the wake of Stonehouse’s injury, Kern was a guest on the “Chase and Big Joe Show” on 102.5 The Game on Monday and was asked about the possibility of returning.
Kern doesn’t sound like a guy who is keen on coming out of retirement, but he didn’t exactly say no, either, with the franchise great leaving it at, “we’ll see.”
“I’m in great basketball shape right now, playing a lot of basketball,” Kern said. “But as far as punting the football, I retired for a reason, so I haven’t touched an NFL ball since the Super Bowl week of last year.
“When (the Stonehouse injury) happened yesterday, my kids were like ‘let’s go outside and punt some footballs, dad. Who knows? You might get a call.’ So, I’m out there, still in my church clothes and in my boots that I wore to church, just fooling around, punting, my son’s trying to catch them. It was a good time, but then I woke up this morning and I then remembered why I retired because I was sore just from the 15 punts I had with a junior ball.”
When pressed a bit about not giving a yes or no answer, Kern replied, “I don’t know what’s going on with the whole situation, but we’ll see.”
If both sides are interested, the Titans would need Kern for at least five games. But there’s also the possibility that Stonehouse’s injury is serious enough to the point he has to miss more contests in 2024.
I don’t think there’s a single Titans fan who wouldn’t want to see Kern get the job once again, even if it’s just for the five games. If nothing else, he can get the proper send-off he deserves, something Titans fans weren’t really able to give him because of how his time with the team ended.
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