Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) punts the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

AJ Cole Is Optimistic About the Raiders’ Future

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated May 30, 2025 9:38 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders' outlook for next season should be very bright, as they have several factors working in their favor. For starters, their offense is revamped from the ground up, and they now have several weapons to look forward to on offense.

On defense, injuries ravaged them last season, and they can only hope they get luckier and their star players don't suffer any serious injuries that keep them out for a prolonged period of time. As for special teams, Raider Nation should be looking forward to having another year of consistency from AJ Cole.

Cole is the team's starting punter and has been with the Raiders ever since he was picked up as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He's one of the few players remaining on the team who was with them when they were the Oakland Raiders, and signed a contract extension this offseason that keeps him with the team until 2029.

In 2024, Cole punted the ball 65 times for 3,304 yards, which included eight touchbacks. His longest kick went for 71 yards, and his average punt distance was 50.8 yards, the highest so far in his career. He also managed to pull off a special-teams play, throwing the ball one time for 34 yards on fourth down against their divisional rival, the Denver Broncos.

Cole will be their starting punter for the foreseeable future, and it's nice for the Raiders to keep him on the team as they need as much consistency as they can get. Cole recently sounded off in a press conference about how much this deal meant to him and how excited he is for the Raiders' future.

"It's really exciting, the last couple of years have had some pretty dark moments, it's been rough. We've lost a lot of games, more than we feel like we should have. I'm really optimistic about the future of this organization and the leadership that's in place.

I feel good about the way we're headed, and I didn't wanna miss that. I'm excited to be here, I want to be a Raider for life, I've been pretty clear about that the whole time. I think both sides wanted that in the negotiations, and it's good that we got to a good place. I'm just really excited for the future now".

The future is bright for the Raiders, and having a reliable kicker who's been with the program for many years contributes to that. Hopefully, Cole and the Raiders will get to play some meaningful football as they hope to make a playoff appearance soon.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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