Just minutes after signing kicker Daniel Carlson to a four-year contract extension, the Raiders locked up their punter for the foreseeable future.
According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, the Raiders agreed to a four-year deal with A.J. Cole on Wednesday night. As of this posting, the contract details for Cole and the Raiders have not been released.
A ✌🏼special✌🏼 night for the #Raiders. Not only have they extended K Daniel Carlson, they agreed to a terms with P A.J. Cole on a four-year extension as well, @Agent_Turnage tells me.
Cole leads the NFL in punt yardage and will now be paid among the league’s top four punters.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 9, 2021
The former North Carolina State product was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL draft. He’s played in every game since for the Raiders, averaging 47 yards per punt throughout his career.
However, Cole has made a big leap in 2021 as he’s been the league’s best punter this season. He leads the NFL in yards per punt (51.1) and hangtime (4.5 seconds).
But not only is he leading all punters in yards per punt this season, but it’s also the highest average since 1940. Only Sammy Baugh (51.4) has a higher average during a season and he did so on far fewer punts (35 punts in 1940). Needless to say, this is one of the greatest punting seasons in NFL history.
With both Carlson and Cole locked up for the next four years, the Raiders will ensure that they have one of the best specialist duos in the league. It’s a smart move by a team led by a special teams coach.
