After drafting two outside linebackers earlier this year, the Arizona Cardinals released veteran linebacker Devon Kennard on Monday, according to a source. Kennard was penciled in as a starter and had a strong training camp this summer, but the Cardinals have decided to give their younger players more opportunities. The 31-year-old had only 30 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, three sacks and a fumble recovery in his two seasons in the desert, and he'll now be looking for work elsewhere before Week 1 of the regular season. The former fifth-round pick of the New York Giants in 2014 has 350 tackles (242 solo) and 26.5 sacks in 111 career games (72 starts) in eight NFL seasons with the Giants, Detroit Lions and Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Devon Kennard will remain with the team after agreeing to restructure his deal, according to a source. Kennard signed a three-year, $20 million deal two years ago, but the Cardinals weren't prepared to keep him around in 2022 with a $9.1 million salary cap number. The 30-year-old played a rotational role last year in his second year in the desert, and he finished with 24 tackles (15 solo), seven tackles for loss and a fumble recovery in 15 games (three starts). Kennard, a Phoenix native, has only 30 solo tackles and three sacks in two seasons with the Cardinals, but he'll get to stay with the team for at least one more season.
The Arizona Cardinals agreed to a three-year, $20 million deal with linebacker Devon Kennard on Wednesday, according to a source. The deal includes $12.25 million in guarantees. Kennard is a Phoenix native, so he'll be returning home after the Lions released him. The 28-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Giants in 2014. He has exactly seven sacks in each of the last two seasons and also recorded 58 tackles (45 solo), nine tackles for loss, 15 QB hits, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries (one for a TD) in 16 games for Detroit in 2019. Kennard should improve Arizona's interior defense in 2020 and beyond.
The Detroit Lions are having trade talks with other teams involving linebacker Devon Kennard. It was previously reported that the Lions outright released Kennard. The Lions signed linebacker Jamie Collins on Monday, so that has made Kennard expendable to the team. The 28-year-old put up back-to-back seven-sack seasons for Detroit and also had 58 tackles (45 solo), nine tackles for loss, 15 QB hits, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown in 2019. He should find his way to a new home soon.
Free-agent linebacker Devon Kennard is set to sign a three-year deal with the Detroit Lions, according to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports. Schultz confirms that the deal for the linebacker will be for $19 million, as the outside linebacker will leave the Giants. Kennard had four sacks and 41 tackles for the Giants last season, as the former fifth-round pick made $1.797 million. Just 26 years old, Kennard also had a fumble recovery and two passes defended for New York.
Devon Kennard
• OLB
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Cardinals
