Pre-draft At his LSU Pro Day Kennison ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds and 4.32 seconds. He scored a 12 on the wonderlic test at the 1996 NFL Combine and measured 6-0½ and weighed 191 pounds.
First stint with Rams Kennison was selected in the first round with the 18th overall pick by the
St. Louis Rams in the
1996 NFL draft, a draft which was remarkably deep in wide receivers. On July 30, 1996, Kennison signed a four-year, $6 million deal with a $2 million signing bonus. His
first season with the Rams was excellent, as he finished second to
Terry Glenn in yards and receptions for rookies, and led the rookie wide receiver class in touchdowns. It was noted regularly at the time that Kennison and Glenn had outproduced number one overall pick
Keyshawn Johnson. He also was selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl. His
1997 and
1998 seasons with the Rams were far less productive, as he battled nagging injuries in a lackluster Rams offense.
New Orleans Saints On February 18, 1999, Kennison was traded to the
New Orleans Saints for a second-round draft pick in the
1999 NFL draft. Saints coach Mike Ditka said, "Our goal as coaches is to get Eddie back to the form he displayed as a rookie". In
1999 he led the team in receptions and yards. This Saints team used four different
starting quarterbacks over the course of the year as they struggled to a 3–13 record.
Chicago Bears On February 22, 2000, the Saints traded Kennison to the
Chicago Bears for a fifth-round pick in the
2000 NFL draft. "(Kennison) gives us another speed guy, and that's something you can't have enough of", his new coach said. With the Bears he continued a pattern of unspectacular but reliable production. He finished second on the team to
Marcus Robinson in receiving yards, and tied Robinson for the team lead in receptions. His salary for the 2000 season was $1.02 million.
Denver Broncos On April 5,
2001, Kennison signed a two-year, $1.8 million deal with the
Denver Broncos that included a $500,000 signing bonus. Kennison was on the depth chart behind starters Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey, but an early-season injury to McCaffrey meant that Kennison was thrust into a starting role. After eight unproductive games, Kennison requested to be released from the team the night before a game in which he was scheduled to start. He stated at the time he had "lost his love for the game". Kennison's decision was reportedly due to his wife's complicated pregnancy and his father's heart attack. As a result, Kennison retired at the age of 28 and was released on November 15, 2001. The loss of Kennison, along with injuries to other Broncos receivers, decimated a once dominant Broncos corps of wide receivers.
Kansas City Chiefs Kennison unexpectedly resurfaced less than a month later, signing with the Broncos' arch-rival
Kansas City Chiefs on December 3, 2001, to the outrage of Broncos coach
Mike Shanahan. Kennison's new contract was for two-years and $4.5 million with $3.2 guaranteed. Kennison would lead the Chiefs in receiving his first game as a starter. On January 3, 2003, Kennison signed a six-year $9 million contract extension with the Chiefs. As a member of the Chiefs, from
2002 to
2006 Kennison averaged 59 receptions, 961 yards, and 5 touchdown catches during this span. In
2007, Kennison sustained a severe
hamstring injury on the first play of the regular season, and was plagued by the injury for the remainder of the season. He was released the following offseason on February 26, 2008.
Later career and retirement Kennison was re-signed by the Rams on September 9, 2008. Kennison was released by the Rams on October 7, then signed again just hours later. He was released again on October 22. Kennison signed a one-day ceremonial contract with the Chiefs on July 19, 2010, so he could retire as a member of the team. In 2025, Kennison appeared on an episode of
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. ==NFL career statistics==