The tongue-in-cheek saying goes in fantasy football, "kickers and punters go quick". The Las Vegas Raiders feel the same way.
The Raiders signed kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole to multi-year contract extensions on Thursday.
Carlson was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (167th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, appearing in two games for Minnesota before signing as a free agent with the Silver and Black. For his career, Carlson has appeared in 56 games and converted on 96-of-112 field goals and 126-of-132 PATs to total 414 points. He was also named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week four times throughout his career and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors in 2020.
Now in his fourth season, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound kicker has appeared in all 12 contests for the Raiders in 2021, converting on 27-of-30 field goals (90.0 percent) and 23-of-25 PATS to total 104 points. Carlson ranks second in the league in field goals made (27) and is tied for second in kicking points (104).
Cole was originally signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent after participating on a tryout basis at the team’s rookie mini-camp in 2019. For his career, Cole has played in 44 games, recording 160 punts for 7,525 yards (47.0 avg.) with 75 punts placed inside the 20-yard line. His 75 punts placed inside the 20-yard line rank fourth in the NFL since entering the league in 2019.
Currently in his third season, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound punter has appeared in all 12 games in 2021, recording 49 punts for 2,505 yards (51.1 avg.) with 22 punts placed inside the 20-yard line. Cole currently leads the league in punting average (51.1).