Raiders Release Punter Marquette King

Marquette King, one of the top punters in the NFL, has been released by the Raiders, the team announced Friday.

King, 29, was fourth in the NFL last season with a net average of 42.7 yards per punt. He pinned 28 kicks inside the 20-yard line.

Though he’s an above-average punter, King is best known for his personality on and off the field. He celebrates strong punts the way you expect a guy to celebrate touchdowns, which has endeared him to fans but apparently not to his coach.

“There were whispers of King’s personality not clicking with [new Raiders head coach Jon] Gruden’s,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported. “Coach didn’t want to spend a lot of money on punter who gets personal fouls.”

Marquette King went over to the Raiders' facility today to meet some of the coaches. Never got the chance. GM Reggie McKenzie pulled him in, spoke to him and, in the end, informed King he was being released.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 30, 2018

The move saves Oakland a reasonable amount of money. King was due to have a cap hit of roughly $3 million over each of the next three seasons. By releasing him, his contract carry a total of $300,000 against the cap over the same period.