Raiders special teams: Is Daniel Carlson next in line for a contract extension?

Kicker is on final year of his current deal; a look at what a new contract would cost Las Vegas

One boot specialist locked in, another one … soon?

A proper question considering the Las Vegas Raiders gave elite punter AJ Cole III a lucrative four-year, $15.8 million contract extension which makes him the NFL’s highest-paid punter, earlier this past week. Cole, 29 years old, entered the 2025 campaign on the final year of his current pact and his new deal locks him in for the next five season. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency in 2030 (at age 35).

But Cole isn’t the only leg on the last year of their current deal. Special teams battery mate Daniel Carlson is in the same boat as he’s under contract this season and, without an extension, he hits next offseason as an unrestricted free agency.

The Raiders’ kicking tandem has been in lock-step since the 2019 season (Carlson arrived in 2018 as a waiver wire pickup after the Minnesota Vikings grew tired of his shanking ways) and it’s Cole who servers as the holder to Carlson’s field goal attempts.

So it’s only natural to wonder if Carlson is in the new regime’s long-term plans.

By The Numbers:
Daniel Carlson, Kicker,

• 2024: 34 of 40, 85 percent field goal percentage; 23 of 25, 92 percent extra point percentage; 125 total points scored (made field goals and extra points)
• Career (2018-24): 203 of 232, 87.5 percent field goal percentage; 223 of 233, 95.7 percent extra point percentage; 832 total points scored (made field goals and extra points)

Down Season

As you can see from the his 2024 production above, it was a “down” year for the 30-year-old kicker. That 85 percent conversion rate is Carlson’s third lowest percentage in his seven seasons in the league. The lowest was his 19 of 26 output — 73.1 percent — in 2019 and second was 17 of 21 — 81 percent — his rookie year in 2018. Caveat there was he went 1 of 4 as a Viking and then 16 of 17 as a Raider that season.

This past season, Carlson was money from the 20- to 39-yard range going 22 of 22. It was distances beyond that where the misses arrived as he went 6 of 8 from 40-49 yards and 7 of 11 from 50-yards plus.

Perhaps Las Vegas is waiting to see Carlson’s 2025 performance before giving him a new deal?

Cole, on the other hand, has been a consistent performer and in terms of yards per punt career leaders list, he’s second at 48.6 (2019-24) to the Detroit Lions Jack Fox (48.8 from 2020-24). Fun fact here: Tied for No. 4 on the list is former Raiders punter Shane Lechler who averaged 47.6 yards per boot from 2000-17.

That all said, Carlson is in the Top 5 of field goal percentage career leaders. His 87.5 mark is good for fifth overall on the list. Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is the league’s most accurate place kicker with an 89.1 percentage (2012-24). And finding an accurate kicker tends to be quite difficult for a number of teams in the league.

Potential Cost

Carlson’s current deal — signed back in 2021 when the kicker was 25 years old — is the 10th richest pact amongst league kickers. So what would it cost the Raiders to extend Carlson?

The highest-paid kicker currently is the Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker who inked a four-year, $25.6 million deal in 2024. That deal got him $17.75 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $6.4 million. Behind Butker is the Atlanta Falcons’ Younghoe Koo, who signed a five-year, $24.25 million deal in 2022. He got $8 million guaranteed at signing and averages $4.85 million a year.

Then there’s the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliot (four-year, $24 million, $9.7 million guaranteed at signing) and Tucker (four-year, $24 million, $14 million guaranteed at signing) tied for third.

Carlson’s next pact is likely to be slotted right behind Butker and ahead of Koo, potentially. So a four-year, $25.5 million contract is likely the potential cost.

Why behind Butker?

First, Butker inked his deal in 2024. And second, he’s No. 2 on the career-field goal percentage list with an 88.6 mark, Carlson is fifth on that list. For reference, Koo is No. 13 at 86.058 percent.

But going rate may dictate Carlson becoming the highest paid at his position like tag team partner Cole.

Extra Point

There’s a third integral piece to Las Vegas’ quality kicking group that’s also on the last leg of their current deal: Long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer.

The 28-year-old is responsible for snapping the ball to Cole during both his punts and his holds of Carlson’s field goals. Bobenmoyer joined the Raiders went Tom McMahon become the special teams unit (both were with the Denver Broncos) and it’s reasonable to assume the former staying the latter’s long snapper.

Bobenmoyer inked a three-year, $3.815 million deal in 2023 and, like Carlson, is slated to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason. The highest-paid snapper in the league is the Buffalo Bills’ Reid Ferguson (four-year, $6.5 million just signed in 2025) with the Indianapolis Colts’ Luke Rhodes second (four-year, $6.465 million signed in 2023).

Thus, the Raiders — if the team wants to keep the trio of Cole, Carlson, and Bobenmoyer together for years to come — could boast the most expensive specialists in the league.