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The Las Vegas Raiders made history earlier in the offseason by having the highest-paid punter in the NFL on their roster when they decided to give AJ Cole a four-year contract, which reset the market for punters across the league.
He held this title for a few weeks of the offseason before it was reported earlier today that the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to give their punter, Logan Cooke, an extension of his own, which made him the highest-paid punter in the NFL.
Both Cooke and Cole have stuck with the team they started their career with, which goes to show that loyalty still pays in today's NFL. Both of them were drafted a year apart, with Cooke having one more year of experience than Cole.
While Cooke's contract extension has no effect on the Raiders as a whole, Cole's new contract, paired with the fact that he was one-upped by another team, may mean he is extra motivated in 2025 and could be his best year yet.
It would be incredible timing for the Raiders if they were able to get the most out of their punter, as they've made plenty of improvements in the off-season and are now headed towards success. It would propel them even further if they were firing on all cylinders on all three levels of the game.
If their special teams, defense, and offense are all coordinated and play well as a unit, this team will defy expectations and be better than what people give them credit for. Cole himself has been quoted as saying how much he trusts this new regime and how he is optimistic for their future.
Cole has been with the Raiders since 2018, and he's seen the team go through many iterations, though none as exciting as the Raiders who'll be playing in 2025. Pete Carroll is the best head coach he's had to play for, and he has them set up nicely to turn their franchise around.
Cole will be a valued piece of this Raiders team and will be on it to see if this excitement is warranted or if it's just another wave of false hope for Raider Nation. Either way, this has been the most hyped he's been before a season has begun, which is a good sign for the Raiders in 2025.
More must-reads:
- Browns' Shedeur Sanders addresses missing practice with arm soreness
- Broncos' Sean Payton adds to Bo Nix hype with bold prediction
- The 'NBA playoff point-per-game leaders' quiz
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Cowboys' undrafted rookie is already proving the NFL world it was wrong about him and preseason hasn't even started yet
Michigan State Pushing for Brother of Commit
Browns reporter says rookie is 'not an NFL QB'
As of the first Monday of August, there was no indication that 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel or 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders had any real chance to emerge as the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 starting quarterback. During a Monday morning appearance on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter offered quite a worrisome update regarding how Gabriel has looked during training camp practices. "He's not good," Ruiter said about Gabriel. "He's not an NFL quarterback. Not right now, and the fact that they keep running him out there for first-team reps...they're cramming this guy down our throats, and it's not good." Numerous NFL analysts viewed Gabriel as a third-day selection before the Browns made him the 94th overall pick of this year's draft. The perception up until Sanders was held out of Saturday's practice due to arm soreness was that he has been the team's fourth-choice option at the position behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. All signs are reportedly pointing to Flacco getting the start for Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Gabriel is listed at 5-foot-11, but some who cover the team have expressed doubts about that measurement. It seems that a lack of desirable size for playing the position in the pros isn't all that's gone against Gabriel this summer. "It's not a height thing," Ruiter continued. "It's not personal. He's rolling out and can't hit guys who are wide open. He's not all that great, at times, in the warmup periods. ...He's just not a good quarterback." Ruiter said that he feels Gabriel "has no business being in contention to start a football game" for the Browns this season. "It's god awful when he's on the field," Ruiter added. Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed in late July that he could stash all four active quarterbacks on the roster for at least Week 1. For an article published on Sunday night, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand wrote that there's "zero chance" either Gabriel or Sanders will be cut this summer. Perhaps Gabriel will look better when he sees some action in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. That said, it sounds like fans should keep their expectations low for Gabriel's unofficial debut this coming Friday.
Green Bay Packers: NFL Insider Drops 2 Things that Have Stood Out About Rookie WR Matthew Golden
Three potential landing spots for disgruntled Bills RB James Cook
Superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys aren't the only ones involved in a contract dispute. Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook is seeking a pay raise as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract. When asked Sunday why he wasn't practicing, Cook responded: "Business." ESPN insider Adam Schefter noted on Monday the hold-in by Cook, the 2022 second-round pick (63rd overall) who is unhappy with his contract situation. For now, Cook's future with the Bills is in question, so let's look at three teams that should be lighting up general manager Brandon Beane's phone in an attempt to pry him from Buffalo. Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles must continue to add weapons around second-year QB Caleb Williams. Per NFL.com, Chicago ranked 25th in the league in rushing yards (102 per game) and 29th in yards per carry (four) last season, which is not good enough to support a young QB. RB D'Andre Swift (253 carries, 959 yards rushing, 3.8 yards per carry) is a solid option but was inefficient last season in the workhorse role. Cook, who rushed for 1,009 yards last season (4.9 per carry), is an efficient runner who could balance this offense. Chicago has the draft capital and salary-cap space (roughly $13M, per Over The Cap) to get a deal done, particularly if it were to send Swift back the other way. Arizona Cardinals Their offense could reach new heights with a dynamic running back like Cook. James Conner, who rushed for a career-high 1,094 yards last season, has been a solid lead runner in Arizona over the past four years, but the 30-year-old could use help. Conner is a power back. Speedster Cook would bring a different style and create an explosive one-two punch with QB Kyler Murray. Per Over The Cap, Arizona has roughly $35M in cap space and all its own draft picks to get a deal done. It's a move it must consider to compete in the loaded NFC West. Minnesota Vikings What better way is there to aid rookie QB J.J. McCarthy than by trading for a high-end running back? Minnesota has perhaps the best receiving groups in the NFL, so improving the run game could make this offense unstoppable. Running back Aaron Jones will turn 31 on Dec. 2, so Cook — who will turn 26 on Sept. 25 — would be an upgrade. Free-agent RB Dalvin Cook, who has a similar running style to James, his brother, rushed for 1,173 yards with the Vikings in 2022. The Vikings have draft picks to make a solid offer, and while their cap space will get tight in 2026, they can find ways to wiggle their way around it. Perhaps Buffalo would be interested in Jones being a part of the deal to help its backfield in the short term.
Knee operation: Kirby Dach not yet back on his feet
Two years ago to the day, Canadiens fans were optimistic about Kirby Dach’s future in Montreal: the 6’4 forward had just collected 38 points in 58 games – in his first campaign in Quebec – and many wondered whether Dach had a better chance of establishing himself as a first NHL center than captain Nick Suzuki. The past 730 days have proven otherwise, but that’s not the point this morning. Since joining the Canadiens, Dach has earned a reputation as a fragile player. Virus, shoulder, upper body (concussion?), lower body, knee(ACL and MCL), knee again… Let’s just say that injuries haven’t spared Dach since he arrived in Montreal. In fact, injuries haven’t spared Dach since he started playing hockey. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and has only broken the 60-game barrier three times in nine junior or pro seasons. Last February, Dach underwent a second operation on his right knee in the space of 18 months. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes may tell us that Kirby Dach is fine,but we still have our doubts. Especially whenyou consider that, with the Canadiens’ recent additions and departures, Kirby Dach is still the team’s second center on the organizational chart. content-ads]Last week, I wondered where Kirby was ? We’ve seen plenty of Habs players skating at the CN Complex this summer, but not Kirby Dach. And I had to work like a monk to catch a glimpse of him in a video filmed at Nick Suzuki’s wedding! Yesterday, I was told that Kirby Dach was spending the summer in Edmonton with Kaiden Guhle – Dach is from Saskatchewan and Guhle is from Alberta – and that Dach was still in rehab. I repeat: five months after his most recent knee operation and some 40 days before the start of practice camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play. Good informants spotted him in an Edmonton gym doing squats with loads that look like the ones I used to take when I went to Econofitness, not the ones an NHL player uses [content-ads]This explains it: when he came to Montreal for his captain’s wedding, Kirby Dach couldn’t – or wouldn’t – skate with his teammates in Brossard. It’s worth noting that Dach is also very quiet on social networks – his last post was in November 2024 – probably in an effort to be forgotten… to go unnoticed. Spending the summer in Alberta, rather than in Montreal (with his chums at Osheaga), makes sense, when you think about it…Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting his season at the same time as everyone else in two months’ time are pretty slim, which is cause for concern for those hoping to see the Canadiens in the playoffs in 2026. Yes, the Kirby Dach problem would be solved if a guy like Mason MacTavish-good offensively, defensively, physically and in the face-off circle-came to Montreal, but let’s just say that the odds of that happening this summer are very low. And you can’t make plans with very improbable things![spacer title=’Prolongation’]Matthew Tkachuk, who was injured last winter while throwing down the gloves at the 4 Nations tournament, underwent surgery last month (hernia and adductor). According to the latest information from Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk could return to action just before the Olympic Games. Let’s hope Kirby Dach doesn’t have to wait as long as Tkachuk.
Broncos' Sean Payton adds to Bo Nix hype with bold prediction
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton believes his team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender after quarterback and 2024 first-round draft pick Bo Nix was better than advertised as a rookie starter. During a recent chat with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Payton gave the Nix hype train some extra momentum via a bold prediction regarding what the 25-year-old will be a couple of years down the road. "I honestly think he’s gonna be one of the top quarterbacks within the next two years," Payton said about Nix. "I think he’s going to be a superstar." Some suggested in the spring of 2024 that Payton and Co. reached when they made Nix the 12th overall pick of last year's draft. Nix then went 10-7 as a starter as he guided the club to a playoff berth. Per Pro Football Reference, Nix ended the 2024 regular season ranked sixth in the NFL with 29 touchdown passes, 12th with 3,775 passing yards and 19th among qualified players with a 56.8 adjusted QBR. In total, 23 quarterbacks took more sacks than Nix (24) during the campaign. According to StatMuse, no signal-caller took more sacks than Russell Wilson did with the Broncos from Week 1 of the 2022 campaign through the end of the 2023 regular season. "Who gets the blame? 'God, the line’s gotta get better.' And it’s always the line. The sack is a quarterback stat," Payton added. "We had 24 [in 2024]. I had Bobby Hoying [in the late 1990s], third-round pick. Man, he was a great-looking prospect. He took three or four sacks a game. It’s a processing thing. It’s decision-making, multi-tasking, ball out." As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Broncos at -140 betting odds to make the playoffs for the upcoming season. Somewhat interestingly, that same outlet had Nix and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams at +3500 odds to claim the Most Valuable Player Award for the campaign. If Nix can follow in Stafford's footsteps through early 2026, Payton could be right about the current Denver squad competing for more than just a postseason berth.
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