Reaction to Raiders release of Marquette King is as polarizing as his personality

We are still in the midst of shock from the Raiders releasing of punter Marquette King. It’s been only a short time since the move was made official, and the knee jerk reactions are all over the map. Some are angry, some confused, some understand, and others are downright thrilled with it.

And to be honest, I can’t really argue too passionately with any of these reactions.

King was a strange bird. Some people loved that about him. Others hated it. Some didn’t care about his antics off the field, they just hated when it made its way onto the field and drew flags.

Here are a few of the reactions, followed by a counterpoint.

Point: He got paid too much and was a $3 million cap hit.

Counter: He was the fifth highest paid punter in the league. He is also a top five NFL punter in most every major statistic.

Point: He was worth what he was paid

Counter: His release saves the team $2.9 million. They continue to look for ways to save money to sign outside players, bring back their own (NaVorro Bowman maybe?) and offer Khalil Mack an extension he’ll accept.

Point: Why not trade him?

Counter: I’m guessing maybe they tried, but his high salary and personality made for a Michael Crabtree type situation in which he had little to no trade market. Remember how little they got for Cordarrelle Patterson and Jamize Olawale in trade? They didn’t even get additional draft picks. They just moved up from the late 6th to the late 5th in each instance.

Point: He is a punter and punters should not make a spectacle of themselves.

Counter: He’s a Raider. He’s passionate. He is still a football player. Some find it entertaining. Other punters have been characters too and still had great careers.

Point: He’s a great punter. Why release a great player?

Counter: The Raiders have 7 picks between the 5th and 7th round. The Raiders drafted Shane Lechler in the 5th round when Gruden was head coach back in 2000. He had one of the greatest careers of any punter in history.

Point: Who cares, they can just draft one

Counter: Sure, they can draft one. But that’s far from a guarantee that punter will be as talented as King was. Remember, the Raiders developed him from raw undrafted rookie to the player he is today.

Point: Why open up another need with all the needs this team has as it is?

Counter: I guess I would just go back to the answer about all the late draft picks. There aren’t a lot of positions in which you have a high likelihood of finding an impact player in those lower rounds. Punter is one of those positions.

Basically, to each their own here. People are reacting strongly. I understand both sides of these arguements and each person is entitled to that reaction.

So, let’s do this right. With a poll.