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Tom Kennedy, Lions' longest-tenured player, back for an 8th season
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- Tom Kennedy, Lions' longest-tenured player, back for an 8th season
Tom Kennedy is back, not that there was ever any doubt he'd leave.
Kennedy, the Detroit Lions ' longest-tenured player, has agreed to a new contract that will bring him back for an eighth season with the team.
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Kennedy first signed with the Lions in 2019 after a brief stint playing professional lacrosse and has spent parts of the past seven years on practice squad and/or active roster.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tom Kennedy (85) celebrates a catch for a first down against Green Bay Packers during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.
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He played in six games last season, catching four passes for 36 yards and excelling as a kick returner late in the season.
Pride of Detroit first reported news of his return.
Kennedy, 29, could compete for the No. 4 receiver job this fall after the Lions lost Kalif Raymond to free agency. The Lions return leading receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, plus Isaac TeSlaa, but are otherwise inexperienced at the position.
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Dominic Lovett, Jackson Meeks and Malik Cunningham, the only other receivers on the Lions roster, have 17 career appearances combined, with zero catches.
Kennedy, who became the Lions' longest-tenured player after Taylor Decker's release this week, was one of three restricted free agents the Lions did not tender contract offers to before the start of the 2026 league year. The minimum tender for an RFA was $3.547 million.
Trevor Nowaske, one of the team's other RFAs, also is expected to re-sign with the Lions.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions bringing back WR Tom Kennedy for 8th season
