AJ Cole: One of Few Raiders Stragglers From Oakland Days

The Las Vegas Raiders have undergone more than a few changes this offseason. The Raiders' front office efficiently addressed their most pressing needs with notable moves on both sides of the ball. This was in addition to the revamping of their coaching staff, replacing Pete Carroll with Klint Kubiak.

Las Vegas entered the 2026 offseason in desperate need of talent across the board. Notably, the Raiders added at least one player to nearly every position group, except for tight end and punter. They could afford to bypass those two positions, as they have one of the league's best at each.

Watch AJ Cole Discuss Mandatory Minicamp and More Below

Cole's Return

In 2024, Cole finished second in the National Football League in punting average, ending the season at 50.8 yards per punt. The league leader averaged 51.0 yards per punt. In 2025, he finished with the sixth-most punting yards of any punter in the league. Cole has a long list of other accomplishments.

Cole is one of the few remaining Raiders from their days in Oakland. The veteran punter has established himself as a leader on the field through his play at his position and his contributions to the Raiders' kicking game, serving as the team's holder for several seasons.

Cole has been an anchor in a Raiders locker room that has seen its fair share of turnover since he was drafted. Las Vegas has had to sort through more coaches and players than they would have liked since drafting Cole in 2019. Yet, in Cole, they have a dependable player who continues to excel.

Shortly after the end of mandatory minicamp, Cole explained how the coaching and roster turnover he has seen around him since being drafted has impacted him. Cole noted his excitement for the arrival of Klint Kubiak as the team's new head coach earlier this offseason.

“I've seen a lot. This is my sixth head coach, and I think that the main takeaways I have on what it takes to be successful as a head coach is you have to be authentically yourself, and then you have to hire good people around you and trust them to do your job, and so far, that's all that he's done. And so, it's been really fun to see that,” Cole said.

“I think he knows who he is. I think he's very confident and comfortable in his own skin, and that's a really impressive quality because I think that any kind of lack of authenticity is pretty easily sniffed out, and so I think that it's been really cool to see just the confidence in who he is, and I think he's hired a great staff, and I think he really trusts the people around him, and I think that's going to go a long way."

Cole went on to explain his mindset and how it has helped him gradually grow into one of, if not the best, punters in the league. He has undoubtedly been one of the more consistent punters in the league over the past five years or so. There is a reason he is still around after all these years.

“I would say the biggest thing is I just have a violent case of imposter syndrome. I just don't think I stack up. I kick with other guys in the offseason constantly, and I'm always only remembering their good punts and then deleting their bad punts. And then, when I look back at my own session, I only remember my bad punts, and I forget all the good ones. So, if I have one bad punt in a day, in a game, that's the only one I remember,” Cole said.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) punts the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

“And so, I think part of it is I just think that I have a little bit of that that I have to kind of work around, and that's something that can potentially affect your confidence if you don't know how to properly manage it. And the other thing is, I don't think there's anything special about me. I think the reason that I've produced on the field the way I've produced is because of the work I've put in."

“It's because of the processes I have in place, and it's not like I have something different in my genetics that makes me predisposed to be better at punting, because I remember what it looked like when I started. And so, I don't think there's anything special or unique about me. I think what's special and unique is the work that I do, and so that's what keeps me going, is because I want to be good at this game for a really long time, and I think that's what it's going to take."

As the Raiders move into a new era with many new faces across the board, Cole is one of the few familiar ones.

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