Former NFL tight end Lance Kendricks was busted for DUI in Santa Monica over the weekend ... after cops say they found him knocked out in the driver's seat with the engine running.
TMZ Sports has learned ... SMPD officers were dispatched around 2:15 AM on Sunday regarding a newer model Ford Bronco that was swerving.
Cops say they located the whip on Ocean Avenue and made contact with 34-year-old Kendricks, who they say was passed out.
Law enforcement sources tell us Kendricks eventually awoke and appeared drunk ... and after conducting field sobriety tests, it was determined he had driven while intoxicated.
We're told Kendricks took a breathalyzer ... and blew over double the .08 legal limit.
Kendricks, who last played in the NFL in 2019, was booked on a DUI charge.
TMZ Sports has obtained Kendricks' mug shot ... which shows the former tight end looking annoyed.
Kendricks played nine seasons in the NFL with St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, Packers, and Chargers.
He made $5,000 bail and was released later Sunday morning.
It's not Kendricks' first run-in with police -- he was previously busted for weed in 2017.