Oakland Raiders: Marquette King signs with Broncos, fuels rivalry

Punter Marquette King’s personality adds more sizzle to the rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders for the 2018 season.

Whether you’re here for pure football or the sideshow, punter Marquette King’s decision to sign with the Denver Broncos adds fuel to the rivalry with the Oakland Raiders.

The Silver and Black cut King Friday, which sparked discussions all over social media. Questions piled up. Many wanted to know why. Others brushed him off as just another punter.

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Nonetheless, King doesn’t approach the game like any other punter. He ranked third in average net yards with 42.7 during the 2017 term.

It seems trivial. Yet, it’s an important statistic for a team with a subpar defense, which the Raiders had during the 29-year-old’s tenure with the club. It’s said, “football is a game of inches.” Oftentimes, King’s punts forced offenses to drive the length of the field.

However, football fans felt the punter should’ve stuck to his booming kicks and toned down his behavior.

At times, he craved attention at the expense of a teammate. King re-enacted Michael Crabtree’s chain-snatching incident with then-Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib at the 2017 Pro Bowl:

At this point, a large portion of the Raiders fanbase viewed King as a traitor. They expected the same loyalty to the team from the players in uniform. For many, he’s viewed as someone who puts his own media recognition above team camaraderie.

His personal fouls also drew ire with Jack Del Rio but didn’t push the former head coach enough to release him. Associated Press writer Josh Dubow compared King’s personal foul count with the rest of the punters in the league back in October:

Linebacker Bruce Irvin, a well-respected voice in the locker room, didn’t find King’s showmanship amusing. He tweeted a comment likely aimed at the Broncos’ new punter after the signing:

Interestingly, in a conference call with 9News reporter Mike Klis, King said he doesn’t believe celebrations caused his release:

There’s also speculation that Gruden didn’t want to pay a punter approximately $3 million. Denver inked him to a three-year deal that could net up to $7 million, per Denver Post reporter Nicki Jhabvala:

The fact a former Raider traded in his silver and black uniform for blue and orange isn’t unheard of—players don’t rule out division rivals. Right tackle Menelik Watson did the same when he signed with the Broncos in the previous offseason.

In the conference call, King pointed to revenge as a factor in his decision. He also posted a cryptic emoji after joining his new team:

https://twitter.com/MarquetteKing/status/981973430344957952

For those who grew tired of King’s desire to showcase his personality, you’d like to see all of this go away.

However, expect the NFL to focus on the offseason drama between the two teams with King as the focal point. The media will ask Gruden why’d he cut the talented punter?

Did he do it for financial purposes? Did the personal fouls during games trigger the move? Maybe both factors along with changing the locker room culture prompted the transaction. It’s possible his recent interview on NFL Network didn’t help his standing with Gruden:

If King didn’t rank as one of the best in the league at his position and kept quiet on and off the field, this wouldn’t emerge as a major topic. He’s a punter. Nonetheless, he’s done enough to garner some press and social media buzz.

Though Raiders fans view King as a villain, it’s clear he doesn’t have thin skin. He’ll also punt into thin air and likely continue a solid colorful career. The personal positives will drown out the antagonism on social media. He’s already countering jabs via Twitter:

On the other hand, the Broncos’ newest acquisition also painted a vulnerable picture of himself during the conference call (h/t Jhabvala):

"The last few days were definitely different. It felt like — you know how you play those UFC games and you get punched and you’re in a daze until you get knocked out? That’s what it kind of felt like. It all happened so fast. I just felt like Denver was the best team to go to. The people that I was familiar with that are here with the organization — you get a homey feeling when you get here."

When the Raiders and Broncos face off, you’ll hear more commentary about a punter scorned and kicking for revenge.

Next: Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden’s offseason hits and misses

Here’s advice for King. Keep your head on a swivel after punting on special teams. Someone may attempt to lay a hit worthy of appearing WorldStar.