Raiders Make A.J. Cole NFL’s Top-Paid Punter with $15.8M Extension

The Raiders struck a deal with A.J. Cole on Monday, signing him to a four-year, $15.8 million extension. The contract, with $11 million locked in, puts him at the top of NFL punter pay.

His yearly take now surpasses Seattle's Michael Dickson, who made $3.7 million per season. The deal stretches through 2029, building on his existing $3.3 million for 2025.

"There was a point where I thought football might be over. After the draft, doubt started to creep in," Jordan Schultz reported Cole said.

Since 2019, Cole stands out among NFL punters. His kicks land inside the 20-yard line 44.9% of the time. Through his career, he's booted 374 punts, covering 18,193 yards at 48.6 yards per kick.

Last year against the Giants, he smashed records. His five punts averaged an eye-popping 63.6 yards. By season's end, he'd posted a personal-best 50.8 yards per punt, second-best in the league.

"Being the last Oakland Raider and the first Vegas punter means a lot to me. The history at this position in this organization is unlike anything else," Cole said per Jordan Schultz.

No team picked Cole in the 2019 draft. He nearly took a job at IBM. Instead, he made the Raiders roster and hasn't looked back. Now he's got three Pro Bowl picks and two first-team All-Pro spots to his name.

On the current Raiders squad, only Cole, Maxx Crosby, Daniel Carlson, and Kolton Miller remain from the Oakland era. They stuck around through the 2020 move to Las Vegas.

The team starts fresh on September 7 against New England. They're aiming to turn things around after winning just four games last season. You can find all of their games for the upcoming season here.