‘They believed in me’: Kennedy III thankful to ink extension during camp
Signing players to contract extensions during training camp isn’t unheard of, but it doesn’t happen every day. So when a team offers a returning player a new deal in the middle of camp, it’s likely because they like what they see.
On Tuesday, the Alouettes signed defensive back Robert Kennedy III to a one-year extension that will keep him in Montreal through the 2027 season. Kennedy, who is in his second year with the Als, has been running with the starting defence since the start of training camp in Quebec City.
“It’s a lot of confidence,” Kennedy III said after Tuesday’s practice when he was asked what the team agreeing to an extension with him indicates. “They believed in me and took me in last year. I’m devoted to the veterans in the locker room like Najee Murray, Wes Sutton, Lorenzo Burns and Kabion Ento. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here at all. They helped me a lot. Coach (Noel) Thorpe also.
“Last year in camp, before I even made the team, I was a third-stringer and everybody else was first- or second-string. Talking to those guys throughout camp, I don’t even know if they realize how much they helped me. They helped me a whole lot.”
The 26-year-old bounced between the practice roster and active roster last season, which can be a mental grind. Practice roster players work hard but don’t get the payoff of playing in games. The paycheque is also a fraction of what players on the active roster receive.
Kennedy III ended up playing in eight regular-season games in 2025, along with three postseason contests, including the Grey Cup last November. He started at field-side defensive halfback in the championship game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“People are probably going to call me a liar, but before the season started, I had thoughts that I was going to end up starting,” Kennedy III, who switched from No. 31 to No. 1 during the off-season, said. “We’re in Montreal. We have the best quarterback in the league, so I never thought we’d just make the playoffs. I knew we’d be in the Grey Cup.
“I just prayed a lot about it and never complained. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and what could be. Whenever my number was called, I was going to be ready. The good thing about being on the practice roster was that I was learning everybody else’s position.”
Kennedy III is expected to start at field-side halfback in 2026, but over the last week, he’s been practicing as the boundary-side defensive back because of an injury to Sutton.
No matter where he plays, he has shown an ability to adapt to his surroundings. This will be just his second full campaign in the CFL, so there’s reason to believe he’ll continue to improve with more reps.
“I feel like even though Montreal extended me right now, they don’t even know how good I can be,” he added. “I’m just going to leave this as an open-ended answer. We’re just going to see how good I can be. In my mind, I know what I think, but I like to show it and not talk about it.”
