Getty A.J. Cole with Daniel Carlson & Trent Sieg.
The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t the most consistent team in the NFL. One week the offense will be great and the defense will struggle. The next week, the offense bombs and the defense puts together a great performance. The one area where the team is consistent is in special teams.
The trio of kicker Daniel Carlson, punter A.J. Cole and long-snapper Trent Sieg is one of the best young groups in the NFL. The Raiders aren’t trying to break them up anytime soon so they handed a big contract extension to Carlson. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the kicker is getting a four-year contract worth $18.4 million with $10.2 million guaranteed. This deal will make him the third-highest paid kicker in the league.
Raiders are giving kicker Daniel Carlson a 4-year, $18.4 million deal that includes $10.2 million guaranteed, per source. Deal makes Carlson the NFL’s third-highest paid kicker.
Carlson has certainly earned a new contract. Last season, he broke the Raiders’ single-season record for points in a season with 144, surpassing Sebastian Janikowski’s 142 in 2010. He’s also made over 90% of his field goal attempts over the last two seasons. Great kickers aren’t easy to come by and the Raiders have found one in Carlson. The hope will be that they don’t even have to worry about their kicker for at least another four years.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Cole Also Receives Extension
Carlson hasn’t been the only special teams player to impress the Raiders. Cole leads the NFL in punting average at 51.1 yards per punt. He’s also dropped 22 punts inside the 20-yard line, which is the fifth-best in the league. He’s quietly developed into an elite punter. With the intent of keeping Cole and Carlson together for a long time, the Raiders also handed the punter a four-year contract. His will be worth $12.4 million and it includs $5.9 in guarantees, per Schefter. This will make him the fifth highest-paid punter in the NFL.
Compensation update: Raiders are giving punter AJ Cole a four-year, $12.4 million deal that includes $5.9 million guaranteed.
That’s not a bad contract who had come to the Raiders as an undrafted free agent and beat out fifth-round pick Johnny Townsend. In the past, the team has locked up special teams players when they’ve found the right ones. That worked out well for them before and should work out with this new duo.
Sieg Already Received His Extension
Some fans will see the new contracts for Cole and Carlson and wonder what’s going with Sieg. The long-snapper is an important part of the trio, why isn’t he getting an extension? That’s because he already got one. The Raiders signed him to a three-year contract back in March.
This special teams anchor is staying put.
We have signed Trent Sieg to a three-year contract » t.co/hkKj2OMIMW
That’s not as long of a deal as Carlson and Cole got but it will ensure that the trio will stick together for a few years. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Raiders right now. By this time next year, the team could have a new head coach, starting quarterback and general manager. At the very least, fans can take solace in knowing that the team has a solid special teams group that will be sticking together for a long time.
READ NEXT: Raiders’ Denzel Perryman Has Strong Response to Maxx Crosby Claim
Comments
Raiders Sign 2 Key Players to Big Contract Extensions