Nedney was born and raised in San Jose, California and attended Santa Teresa High School.

In 1998, San Jose State awarded him a degree in recreation after Nedney completed an internship at the Arizona Cardinals community relations department.

[2] Nedney started his NFL career in 1996, bouncing around practice squads for the Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, and Miami Dolphins.

He was picked up by the Denver Broncos at the start of the 2000 NFL season to fill in for the injured Jason Elam, but was waived after three games and then signed by the Carolina Panthers.

In the final game of the 1999 NFL season, while Nedney was with the Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs were denied a trip to the playoffs and an AFC West division title in the final game of the season when Nedney kicked a field goal in overtime, giving the division to the Seattle Seahawks instead.