Latest news with #then-OaklandRaiders
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Raiders' Smith and Crosby make obscene gestures toward Seahawks fans
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith and defensive end Maxx Crosby were captured on videos making obscene gestures toward Seattle Seahawks fans as they entered the field before their preseason game Thursday night. Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was fined $10,128 for making a similar gesture to Green Bay Packers fans last November, according to Pro Football Talk. Several videos of the actions by Smith and Crosby made the rounds on social media Friday. One video showed the team gathered as it was ready to enter the field. Crosby is seen bouncing on his feet and appears to be talking to fans and tries to grab a sign. Then Smith joins Crosby in jumping up and down and looks in the direction of those fans. As the team begins to run onto the field, Smith makes an obscene gesture to the fans with Crosby immediately following with his own. At least one fan appeared to be taunting the players before the gestures were made. The then-Oakland Raiders drafted Russell first overall in 2007, but he went 7-18 as the starting quarterback played only three seasons. Smith was the Seahawks' starter the past three seasons before failing to come to terms on a new deal. He followed his former coach, Pete Carroll, when the Raiders traded for him. Thursday's game ended 23-23. ___
Mint
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Who is Antonio Brown? Former NFL star wanted in Miami-Dade County on attempted murder charge
Former National Football League (NFL) star Antonio Brown is wanted by authorities in Miami-Dade County on a charge of attempted murder with a firearm. According to the warrant reviewed by The Washington Post, charges against Brown stem from his alleged involvement at a celebrity boxing event in Miami last month. The warrant, signed on Wednesday, June 11, sets Brown's bond at $10,000 and includes a condition that he must remain under house arrest until his trial. The now-wanted footballer was a top wide receiver in the NFL before his erratic behavior led to a turbulent exit from the league, as per Reuters. During his career, Brown earned first-team All-Pro honors four times, making seven Pro Bowl appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2010 to 2018. Though traded to the then-Oakland Raiders, he never played a game for them. Antonio Brown later had brief stints with the New England Patriots (1 game in 2019) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15 games from 2020 to 2021), where he ended his career. Brown caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns in 146 games. He led the league in catches twice, receiving yards twice and touchdown receptions once. Besides making headlines for multiple arrests, Antonio Brown found himself in the spotlight in October 2024, just ahead of the US Presidential elections. In October 2024, following his speech at a Donald Trump rally, Brown was spotted in Pittsburgh outside the stadium he used to call home with the Steelers, passing out "Trump Vance" yellow and black towels to fans before 'Sunday Night Football,' reported Fox News. Antonio Brown at the Trump rally He even wore a black hat that had Trump's signature "Make America Great Again" slogan across it, during the rally. The former NFL star was briefly detained by police after gunshots were fired during a boxing event in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood on May 16. In videos posted to social media, the former NFL wide receiver was seen involved in a physical altercation with several individuals.
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole put best feet forward for Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Neither took the easy path to get here. But because Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole persevered, the Las Vegas Raiders have perhaps the best kicker-punter duo in the NFL. Las Vegas showed its appreciation to Cole by signing him late last month to an extension that briefly made him the league's highest-paid punter. Now the question is whether the Raiders will show the same kind of appreciation toward Carlson, who enters the final season of his four-year, $18.4 million deal. 'Going on year eight as a Raider now, that's essentially been my whole career,' Carlson said. 'Just honored to be a part of this historic organization and excited about where we're headed this year and the direction we're going as a program. So if (an extension) happens, I'd love that, but I'm focused on the football side.' For kickers with at least 85 attempts over the past three seasons, Carlson was fifth in conversion rate at 89.3%. His 24 made field goals from 50 yards and beyond ranked fourth. He's also having to adjust to new kickoff rules for the second season in a row. The NFL changed its format last year, placing 10 kick coverage players at the opposing 40-yard line. Touchbacks put the ball at the 30. Now touchbacks will begin possession at the 35 to encourage even more kickoff returns. 'It's going to be hard as coaches to say, 'Hey, let's just give them the ball at the 35,'' Raiders special teams coach Tom McMahon said. 'I think that's the biggest thing that's going to change with that new touchback rule.' Carlson was effective in limiting the damage last season when he put the ball in play, which he did often with 68% of kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. For those with at least 30 kickoffs last season, Carlson was second in the league in allowing 23 yards per kickoff return, just behind the 22.2 average of Greg Zuerlein of the New York Jets. 'There's almost like some soccer skills that are popping up again, where it's a little more feel, just because it's a very different kick than a field goal,' Carlson said. 'You don't want to necessarily just kick it straight to the returner or anything like that.' Adapting to new circumstances is nothing new for Carlson. As a rookie in 2018 for Minnesota, he missed three field goals — two in overtime — in a 29-29 tie with NFC North rival Green Bay. The Vikings waived him the following day. Carlson caught on with the then-Oakland Raiders — he's one of four players left who played for the team in the Bay Area — and soon began to establish himself as the one of the league's best kickers. He was a second-team AP All-Pro in 2021 and a first-teamer the next season. Cole's path was different, but like Carlson, became one of the top players at his position when the early odds appeared against him. Cole, who also began his NFL career in Oakland, entered minicamp in 2019 hoping just to remain on the roster after those three days. He wound up beating out Johnny Townsend in training camp. 'I showed up to that minicamp and I really just felt like, 'This could be it, and I'm going to go into every single one of these three days and I'm going to get all the juice I can,'' Cole said. 'I've been trying to keep that same mentality, and I'm just on absolute borrowed time. I enjoy every single day. I don't think there's anybody that has more fun at work than I do. It's just such a blessing.' Cole has averaged at least 50 yards three of the past four seasons, a feat that only Ryan Stenhouse has matched in league history. He also is third in gross punting average (48.6 yards) and eighth in net average (42.1 yards) since his first season. Such production earned Cole first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2023. And a contract extension. Cole was rewarded with a four-year, $15.8 million deal on May 26 that included $11 million in guaranteed money. That gave him the distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid punter, but this week was passed by two other players. Not that Cole is complaining. When asked if he planned a major purchase, he said that already had been made before signing the contract. 'All of my plants died, so we just re-landscaped our yard,' Cole said. 'So I'm really excited that I get to stay here and watch those plants grow up. I don't know if you guys have bought plants before, but they're really, really expensive. 'So that was the big-ticket purchase — a couple of new queen palm trees in the backyard and a couple sweet Bay laurels on the side.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole put best feet forward for Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Neither took the easy path to get here. But because Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole persevered, the Las Vegas Raiders have perhaps the best kicker-punter duo in the NFL. Las Vegas showed its appreciation to Cole by signing him late last month to an extension that briefly made him the league's highest-paid punter. Advertisement Now the question is whether the Raiders will show the same kind of appreciation toward Carlson, who enters the final season of his four-year, $18.4 million deal. 'Going on year eight as a Raider now, that's essentially been my whole career,' Carlson said. "Just honored to be a part of this historic organization and excited about where we're headed this year and the direction we're going as a program. So if (an extension) happens, I'd love that, but I'm focused on the football side.' For kickers with at least 85 attempts over the past three seasons, Carlson was fifth in conversion rate at 89.3%. His 24 made field goals from 50 yards and beyond ranked fourth. He's also having to adjust to new kickoff rules for the second season in a row. The NFL changed its format last year, placing 10 kick coverage players at the opposing 40-yard line. Touchbacks put the ball at the 30. Advertisement Now touchbacks will begin possession at the 35 to encourage even more kickoff returns. 'It's going to be hard as coaches to say, 'Hey, let's just give them the ball at the 35,'' Raiders special teams coach Tom McMahon said. "I think that's the biggest thing that's going to change with that new touchback rule.' Carlson was effective in limiting the damage last season when he put the ball in play, which he did often with 68% of kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. For those with at least 30 kickoffs last season, Carlson was second in the league in allowing 23 yards per kickoff return, just behind the 22.2 average of Greg Zuerlein of the New York Jets. Advertisement 'There's almost like some soccer skills that are popping up again, where it's a little more feel, just because it's a very different kick than a field goal,' Carlson said. 'You don't want to necessarily just kick it straight to the returner or anything like that.' Adapting to new circumstances is nothing new for Carlson. As a rookie in 2018 for Minnesota, he missed three field goals — two in overtime — in a 29-29 tie with NFC North rival Green Bay. The Vikings waived him the following day. Carlson caught on with the then-Oakland Raiders — he's one of four players left who played for the team in the Bay Area — and soon began to establish himself as the one of the league's best kickers. He was a second-team AP All-Pro in 2021 and a first-teamer the next season. Advertisement Cole's path was different, but like Carlson, became one of the top players at his position when the early odds appeared against him. Cole, who also began his NFL career in Oakland, entered minicamp in 2019 hoping just to remain on the roster after those three days. He wound up beating out Johnny Townsend in training camp. 'I showed up to that minicamp and I really just felt like, 'This could be it, and I'm going to go into every single one of these three days and I'm going to get all the juice I can,'' Cole said. "I've been trying to keep that same mentality, and I'm just on absolute borrowed time. I enjoy every single day. I don't think there's anybody that has more fun at work than I do. It's just such a blessing.' Cole has averaged at least 50 yards three of the past four seasons, a feat that only Ryan Stenhouse has matched in league history. He also is third in gross punting average (48.6 yards) and eighth in net average (42.1 yards) since his first season. Advertisement Such production earned Cole first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2023. And a contract extension. Cole was rewarded with a four-year, $15.8 million deal on May 26 that included $11 million in guaranteed money. That gave him the distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid punter, but this week was passed by two other players. Not that Cole is complaining. When asked if he planned a major purchase, he said that already had been made before signing the contract. 'All of my plants died, so we just re-landscaped our yard,' Cole said. "So I'm really excited that I get to stay here and watch those plants grow up. I don't know if you guys have bought plants before, but they're really, really expensive. "So that was the big-ticket purchase — a couple of new queen palm trees in the backyard and a couple sweet Bay laurels on the side.' ___ AP NFL:
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole put best feet forward for Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev. — Neither took the easy path to get here. But because Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole persevered, the Las Vegas Raiders have perhaps the best kicker-punter duo in the NFL. Las Vegas showed its appreciation to Cole by signing him late last month to an extension that briefly made him the league's highest-paid punter. Now the question is whether the Raiders will show the same kind of appreciation toward Carlson, who enters the final season of his four-year, $18.4 million deal. 'Going on year eight as a Raider now, that's essentially been my whole career,' Carlson said. "Just honored to be a part of this historic organization and excited about where we're headed this year and the direction we're going as a program. So if happens, I'd love that, but I'm focused on the football side.' For kickers with at least 85 attempts over the past three seasons, Carlson was fifth in conversion rate at 89.3%. His 24 made field goals from 50 yards and beyond ranked fourth. He's also having to adjust to new kickoff rules for the second season in a row. The NFL changed its format last year, placing 10 kick coverage players at the opposing 40-yard line. Touchbacks put the ball at the 30. Now touchbacks will begin possession at the 35 to encourage even more kickoff returns. 'It's going to be hard as coaches to say, 'Hey, let's just give them the ball at the 35,'' Raiders special teams coach Tom McMahon said. "I think that's the biggest thing that's going to change with that new touchback rule.' Carlson was effective in limiting the damage last season when he put the ball in play, which he did often with 68% of kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. For those with at least 30 kickoffs last season, Carlson was second in the league in allowing 23 yards per kickoff return, just behind the 22.2 average of Greg Zuerlein of the New York Jets. 'There's almost like some soccer skills that are popping up again, where it's a little more feel, just because it's a very different kick than a field goal,' Carlson said. 'You don't want to necessarily just kick it straight to the returner or anything like that.' Adapting to new circumstances is nothing new for Carlson. As a rookie in 2018 for Minnesota, he missed three field goals — two in overtime — in a 29-29 tie with NFC North rival Green Bay. The Vikings waived him the following day. Carlson caught on with the then-Oakland Raiders — he's one of four players left who played for the team in the Bay Area — and soon began to establish himself as the one of the league's best kickers. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2021 and a first-teamer the next season. Cole's path was different, but like Carlson, became one of the top players at his position when the early odds appeared against him. Cole, who also began his NFL career in Oakland, entered minicamp in 2019 hoping just to remain on the roster after those three days. He wound up beating out Johnny Townsend in training camp. 'I showed up to that minicamp and I really just felt like, 'This could be it, and I'm going to go into every single one of these three days and I'm going to get all the juice I can,'' Cole said. "I've been trying to keep that same mentality, and I'm just on absolute borrowed time. I enjoy every single day. I don't think there's anybody that has more fun at work than I do. It's just such a blessing.' Cole has averaged at least 50 yards three of the past four seasons, a feat that only Ryan Stenhouse has matched in league history. He also is third in gross punting average and eighth in net average since his first season. Such production earned Cole first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2023. And a contract extension. Cole was rewarded with a four-year, $15.8 million deal on May 26 that included $11 million in guaranteed money. That gave him the distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid punter, but this week was passed by two other players. Not that Cole is complaining. When asked if he planned a major purchase, he said that already had been made before signing the contract. 'All of my plants died, so we just re-landscaped our yard,' Cole said. "So I'm really excited that I get to stay here and watch those plants grow up. I don't know if you guys have bought plants before, but they're really, really expensive. "So that was the big-ticket purchase — a couple of new queen palm trees in the backyard and a couple sweet Bay laurels on the side.' /hub/nfl
