After graduating in 1935, Kahn tried out for the Boston Redskins, making the team as a guard and becoming the third North Carolina player to join the NFL. The owner George Preston Marshall gave Kahn permission to sit out the first game in 1935 because it fell on Rosh Hashanah. Kahn played for Boston in the 1935 and 1936 seasons. He won a starting position in the sixth game of the 1936 season against the Philadelphia Eagles, helping the Ray Flaherty-coached Redskins to their first winning season (7–5) and the Eastern Division title. The Redskins lost to the Packers in the championship game and Kahn was selected to the 1936 All-NFL 2nd team.
