Jul 24, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; A general overall view of the Las Vegas Raiders headquarters and practice facility at the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Iron Continues to Sharpen Iron for the Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the best punters and kickers, respectively, in the National Football League. Kicker Daniel Carlson co-led the league in scoring in 2020 and 2021. He is ranked second on the Raiders' all-time list for field goals made.

AJ Cole has averaged over 45 yards per punt since 2019, which leads the NFL during that time frame. His 45.6-yard average is the highest in NFL history among punters in their first six seasons.

Following training camp, Carlson explained that although both have experienced personal success on an individual level, they continue to push each other to be great.

"Fresh, yeah, I mean, I think every year, we're continuing to try and get better, and we've talked about that. We've come a long way from our first couple of years, but I mean, now you want to continue. There are always problems to solve with your swing, with whatever the opponents are showing with the new kickoffs, whatever it may be," Carlson said.

"So, just putting our heads together and talking it through with each other, we kind of speak the same language. A lot of it is self-taught, and we're coaching each other about our swings. But we're so familiar with each other now, we can kind of help coach each other and help each other out, just work through any issues we're having on the field.

"So, it's been just really awesome to have that camaraderie throughout the years. And we obviously are both very competitive, want to do well, and so it's fun to be able to push each other and also lean on each other a little bit.

The two have been together since Cole joined the Raiders in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. Carlson and Cole have a strong relationship on and off the field. The veteran kicker and punter spend more time with each other than nearly anyone else, professionally or personally.

"I mean, it’s been cool. This is going on year seven together now. So, like, I got to see him as a rookie, and it's just awesome to see him get to work every day. And get to show up together as friends but also as coworkers, and just get to better our crafts together. And just seeing how far he's come and continuing to go. I mean, he's just getting started. And we hope he just has a great year," Carlson said.

"Hopefully, he's not on the field a whole lot, other than maybe holding some more. But no, it's just awesome to see him day in, day out. It's helped me a ton as a player, as a teammate, and then off the field too, it's just a blast. We could spend seven years of our lives together, and hopefully a lot more."

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

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