Not much has gone right for the Las Vegas Raiders over the last several seasons. However, an elite special corps has prevented the team from plummeting into complete chaos.
Kicker Daniel Carlson and punter A.J. Cole provided as many highlights as the offense did last season, and Cole was rewarded by new general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll for his efforts. Last week, he signed a four-year extension worth $15.8 million, with $11 million in guarantees.
The two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler is now the highest-paid punter in the NFL. Cole also earned the most guaranteed money at the position in franchise history, which is an enormous feat considering the great punters who have graced the Silver and Black.
AJ Cole is enjoying life in Las Vegas under a new regime
On Thursday, Cole spoke with the media about his big extension and why he felt that Las Vegas was the place for him to be. He also spoke glowingly of the Raiders' new leadership tandem.
"I mean, to be completely honest with you, I haven't been this excited to come to work in a really long time," Cole admitted. "I'm having more fun playing football than I've had in quite a while. ... When you have the opportunity to sign a deal with a regime like that and with people you really trust and an organization you truly feel is headed in the right direction, it makes the process easier."
It does not take much to read between the lines and understand that Cole may not have felt this way about the Silver and Black's previous brass. In fact, his verbiage about how long it has been since he's been excited to come into work could be construed as a slight toward both Antonio Pierce and Josh McDaniels.
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While each regime that has come through Las Vegas treated Cole and Carlson well, they seemingly did not give them hope like the one led by Spytek and Carroll. Cole may just be excited about the new-look Raiders and did not carefully calculate what he said, but his insistence on being completely honest felt like an admission of sorts.
Time will tell if the decision to hire Spytek and Carroll was the right one, but through Phase 3 of the offseason program, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction. By the looks of it, this should be a massively improved football team who could shock some people this year.
It sounds like Cole would not have signed an extension if he did not believe that.