At 33 years of age, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back/return specialist Kenjon Barner is contributing however he can to keep his NFL career going. Unfortunately, his 2022 NFL season has just been cut short.
On Monday, the Buccaneers placed Barner on season-ending injured reserve. In a corresponding move, they signed running back Patrick Laird.
Barner first joined the Buccaneers in 2020 as a practice squad member. He played six games that season, almost exclusively on special teams, and received a ring after the Bucs won Super Bowl LV.
The 2022 NFL season was going to be Barner’s 10th year in the NFL. The former Oregon Ducks star has had a long career, and gotten to enjoy the perks of being in the right place at the right time.
Kenjon Barner was a sixth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 NFL Draft. After a limited role as a rookie, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, but did not play for them until 2015.
In 2017, Barner served as the Eagles’ primary punt returner, and would be their kickoff return man in Super Bowl LII. He would go on to win his first ring with the Eagles in a win over the Patriots.
Barner bounced around the league the following year and wound up with the New England Patriots. He had 71 rushing yards for them that year and won a second ring when the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII.
In total, Barner has played 10 NFL seasons for seven different teams, some of which he’s played for multiple times.
Will Kenjon Barner return for an 11th season in 2023?