A former Detroit Lions tight end is getting another opportunity to continue his NFL career after a difficult stretch that derailed his time in the league.

The move comes after tight end Kenny Yeboah spent the entire 2025 season sidelined because of injury. According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, former Lions tight end Kenny Yeboah has signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

"Yeboah, who attended #Chiefs minicamp on a tryout basis, heads to Arizona after missing all of last season due to injury," reported the analyst on June 10.

Yeboah, who started his career with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2021, spent four years with the Jets before signing with the Lions in 2025.

Across those four years, he played 33 games with two starts, with his best season being in 2024. He recorded five catches on eight targets for 48 yards and one touchdown in nine games, including a start.

Unfortunately, after he signed with the Lions, he suffered a significant knee injury during the second half of the Lions’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on August 1, 2025. The Lions subsequently released him in November with an injury settlement.

Yeboah has been utilized more on special teams, seeing 610 snaps compared to 3009 offensively and recorded 11 special team tackles in his career.

Joining the Cardinals, he is now reunited with head coach Mike LaFleur, who was the Jets' offensive coordinator from 2021-2022.

While the ex-Detroit player finds a new home, the Lions have their own set of problems related to the tight end position.

Lions Could Move On From Star TE

During the Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders, the Lions’ star tight end Sam LaPorta suffered a back injury for which he underwent surgery in late November.

He missed out for the rest of the season. However, LaPorta’s contract is expiring this year, which has put the Lions in an uncertain spot. It is mainly because it could be challenging for the Lions to manage financially given other contract commitments on the roster.

While LaPorta was seen participating in a very small capacity during the OTAs, Michael Colwander of SideLion Report reported that LaPorta could find himself in New England Patriots. This comes after the Patriots’ tight end Julian Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“As the Lions try to sort out LaPorta’s future and build their own Super Bowl-contending team, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on the Patriots as a potential mutually beneficial trade partner going forward," shared the analyst.

If they keep LaPorta, it would severely hurt their cap space with many big contracts already signed. They also have to plan for extending their star running back Jahmyr Gibbs at the end of the 2027 season.

While Detroit figures out the LaPorta deal, share your thoughts on ex-Lions tight end Yeboah joining the Cardinals.

Read more at Detroit Lions Community.

Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar