Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King (7) reacts after a punt within the five yard line as the Indianapolis Colts face the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, December 24, 2016.
The Oakland Raiders have released the only African-American punters in the NFL, Marquette King, after six seasons with the silver and black.
King was a staple in special teams for the Raiders, ranking in the top five for punting yardage, according to ESPN, in the 2017 regular season.
In 16 games played last season, King averaged 47.4 yards per punt, netting 44.4 yards per attempt — best for third in the league.
Mediocre in pinning the opposition inside the 20-yard line in 2017, King has been declining statistically since 2015 since being signed out of Fort Valley State University as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
According to Pro Football Reference, King ranks 4th all-time in yards per punt, trailing only former Raider Shane Lechler, who is No. 1 all-time. Yet, Oakland felt it was time to move on from the 29-year-old.
King’s career with the Raiders saw 426 punts for 19,941 yards with 33 touchbacks.
King played in 80 games for the Raiders, ranking second all-time in punt average for a franchise who have had the luxury of kickers such as Lechler, Ray Guy and Sebastian Janikowski.
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