The 2026 draft is almost in the books and if the Raiders are looking for someone to address this year’s rookie class and talk about some of the challenges that come with playing in the NFL, the team could do a lot worse than handing that responsibility to their own Lincoln Kennedy.
Kennedy talked this week on the mistakes he made as a rookie and shared how he was out of money after his first NFL season because no one talked with him about how to manage his money.
“I remember my first year. The first thing that I did when I got drafted, because I didn’t come for money, I went and bought my mom a house, my grandmother house. I bought a house in Seattle. I bought a house in Atlanta. By the end of my first year, I was broke because you’re only paid during the season,” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“I didn’t know that. I didn’t know that we only got 17 checks. I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, where’s all the money going?’ Because I didn’t understand. That added pressure that wasn’t on the football field. That’s personal pressure, not being in a position to know how to manage money… There are so many things that come at these guys, especially when you’re a high-profile draft choice, especially when you’re a quarterback. The marketing opportunities, everything that comes out the woodwork, everybody’s pulling at you.”
“What I’ve told guys in the past, what I’ve told guys that have come into this position when they come to the league… I said the first thing you need to learn and the hardest lesson you need to learn is how to say ‘No. I don’t have it. I can’t do it.’ Because you need to be totally selfish. You need to find time for yourself because this is not a game,” Kennedy continued.
“This is not a game for young kids. This is a very difficult game when you get to this level. When you’re being paid about this much money, you have this much exposure, this is not an easy game and it’s not for everybody. You’ve got to be mentally strong to withstand all the outside influences, all the internal pressure…”
For those who aren’t familiar with Kennedy’s journey to the Raiders, he was the ninth overall pick in the 1993 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a three-year, $3 million contract with the Falcons and was traded to the Raiders prior to the 1996 season.
Kennedy played eight seasons with the Raiders in Oakland and was a two-time All Pro. He was one of the centerpieces of the last Raiders’ offensive line to play in a Super Bowl.
x: @raidersbeat
I walrus was a perfect example of not being able to say no, and EVERYONE coming out of the woodwork. And he started with over 30 million.
He could’ve been the best to ever play the game at the Q position. He was swimming with hungry sharks from day 1.