The Las Vegas Raiders just made AJ Cole the NFL’s highest-paid punter, and let’s just say…not everyone’s buying the ’field position’ hype. In a league where kickers and punters often operate in the shadows of QB megastars, the Raiders’ $15.8 M gamble on Cole has sparked a debate as spicy as a fourth-quarter ’Hail Mary’. Enter Gehrig Dieter, Patrick Mahomes’ former Chiefs teammate and resident Twitter troll, who fired off a viral zinger:

“When you expect to punt a lot, you pay for a good punter 😂😂” — a retweet that sliced through the noise like Cole’s 83-yard moonball. Dieter, a Super Bowl LIV champ whose NFL career was more ’practice squad grind’ than ’primetime highlight,’ knows a thing or two about underdog economics. His stats (6 games, 2 catches, 32 yards) won’t melt your ’fantasy league,’ but his wit just might.

The Raiders’ move reeks of a team hedging bets, like drafting a QB in Madden just to sim the season. But here’s the twist: Cole isn’t just any leg—he’s a lethal weapon. With a 48.6-yard career average and a record 63.9-yard game in 2023, he’s the Raiders’ stealth MVP, flipping fields like a Blackjack dealer on a hot streak.

Let’s not front: Paying a punter elite cash is like giving your sous chef a Michelin star. But in Vegas, where the house always plays to win, Cole’s extension isn’t just business—it’s ’culture’. Remember Ray Guy, the Raiders’ Hall of Fame punter who turned hang time into high art?

Guy once boomed a 74-yarder in 1977, back when disco ruled and punters were afterthoughts. Cole’s 83-yard nuke in 2023? That’s not just distance; it’s narrative. As Guy famously said through his punts, ‘Punting is an attitude’—and the Raiders are all-in on Cole’s swagger.

• Ray Guy: Often referred to as the ’gold standard’ for punters, Guy’s influence is commemorated through the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate punter.

• AJ Cole: While still in the midst of his career, Cole’s accolades and records position him as one of the top punters of his generation.

Post Mahomes? Legacy contracts & the art of the punt

Dieter’s jab, though, cuts deeper. It’s a nod to the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry, where Mahomes’ magic often left Las Vegas chasing ghosts. Their friendship? Pure gold. At a 2024 Royals–Yankees game, Mahomes trolled Dieter mid-rally, yelling in his face like he’d just escaped a Cover 0 blitz.

Dieter shot back on X: “Buddy almost got 2 pieced @PatrickMahomes #repbx.” That’s the vibe here—playful, but laced with truth. If Cole’s the Raiders’ ace, Dieter’s the guy reminding everyone that paying for punts means you’re planning to…well, punt. A lot.

But let’s keep it a buck: Cole’s worth every penny. His $11 M guaranteed isn’t just for boots—it’s for IQ. In 2024, he pulled a ’Metal Gear Solid’ sneak play, hitting linebacker Divine Deablo on a 34-yard fake punt against Denver. That’s chess, not checkers. Meanwhile, Dieter’s post-NFL hustle—coaching interns, hustling at Chicken N Pickle—proves grind never stops. His Super Bowl ring? Listed for $180 K last year, because legends know value isn’t just stats. It’s stories.

So here’s the kicker: In a league obsessed with QBs, the Raiders just bet $15 M on a dude who thrives when his offense fails. Dieter’s laugh? The soundtrack. But if Cole keeps dropping bombs inside the 20, Vegas might just laugh last. After all, as The Dark Knight’s Joker quipped, ‘If you’re good at something, never do it for free.’ Cole’s getting paid. And Dieter? He’s already won the clapback crown.

Football’s beauty lives in contrasts: the QB’s glory, the punter’s grit. Dieter, the practice-squad phoenix, and Cole, the $15 M leg, are two sides of the same coin—one retired with a ring, the other booting rockets into the Vegas night. In the end, every punt is a sonnet, every tweet a mic drop. And in this game? Both matter.