Raiders have opportunity to invest further in special teams after AJ Cole extension

While the past few seasons have felt like a barren wasteland for Las Vegas Raiders fans in terms of hope, it has not been all bad for the team.

The Raiders have at least been able to boast one of the most reliable special teams units in the league. Headlined by kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole, the Raiders have at least been able to be comforted by knowing that they can work themselves into advantageous positions. On Monday, the Raiders invested into keeping this unit together by signing Cole to a four-year extension worth $15.8 million, making him the highest-paid punter in the NFL.

Now that the Raiders have started to shell out the big bucks towards special teams, it makes sense for them to finish the job.

The Raiders have a clear next move they can make to keep their special teams strong.

Carlson’s contract expires after this season, and the Raiders must now choose to keep one of the most consistent kickers in the league, or try their hand again next season.

After a rough stint to begin his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings, Carlson found his way to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018. Since then, Carlson has rebounded to become one of the NFL’s most reliable kickers.

This was most notable in 2021 and 2022, when Carlson hit a last-second field goal to clinch a playoff spot for the Raiders over the Los Angeles Chargers in the former, while establishing himself as a first-team All-Pro in the latter.

While his numbers have gone down in recent years, Carlson has only one year where he hit less than 85 percent of his field goal attempts (2019, 73.1%).

Carlson has been a bright spot on a team that has not seen too many of them in recent years, and it would be a surprise if they do not take the opportunity to keep him in Las Vegas after doing the same with his punting counterpart.