It's not often that news of a transaction involving a punter shakes the NFL to its core. That's what happened on Friday, however, when the Oakland Raiders cut Marquette King. King played with the Raiders for six years, developing a reputation as one of the most demonstrative and fun punters in the NFL. He wasn't full of bluster, though -- he was actually one of the best punters in the league, finishing second in net yardage last season.
The reason behind his release remains a mystery. Some believe there was a personality clash with new head coach Jon Gruden.
Others cited the $3 million the Raiders were set to save by releasing him. Regardless, King is free to sign where he pleases now.
Here are three NFL teams that should consider picking up the punter immediately.
Philadelphia Eagles
The swagger King possesses perfectly matches with the swagger the city of Philadelphia has shown since winning their first Super Bowl title. A union between the two goes beyond the shared synergy the two would have, however. After winning the Super Bowl, Donnie Jones decided to retire from the NFL; he was the team's primary punter for the past five years.
Without him, Cameron Johnston is the only punter on the roster; the Australian punter signed with the team after last year's NFL Draft, but didn't attempt a single punt.
King would definitively be an upgrade.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings get included here because this may already be in motion. According to several reports, the team is already in contact with King, wasting almost no time after he was released by the Raiders to get in touch.
Source said the #Vikings have inquired about punter Marquette King, released today by Oakland. Vikings punter Ryan Quigley is under contract in 2018 for a nonguaranteed $790,000.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 30, 2018
Minnesota was just a couple of wins away from a Super Bowl last season, so stealing away a player that could go to the NFL champions could be a factor.
Quigley is a journeyman punter who kicked 71 times last season, averaging 42.2 yards per punt. Besides, the Vikings have some experience when it comes to outgoing, charismatic punters. Remember Chris Kluwe?
San Francisco 49ers
One of the five worst teams by yards per punt last season was the San Francisco 49ers. Jeff Locke didn't play after being acquired from the Detroit Lions, while Bradley Pinion continued to show promise.
Nevertheless, King would be an improvement. The team already brought in one character in Richard Sherman, what's another in Marquette King? He'd certainly be happy to avoid the stress of moving, since he'd simply be traveling across the bay.
