Former Raiders punter wishes Antonio Pierce hired sooner —VIDEO

Former Raiders punter Marquette King stopped by to express his support of the team’s new full-time coach, Antonio Pierce.

He just wishes Pierce would have gotten the job about five years sooner.

Pierce “brings swagger to the position,” King said. “Him and Deion (Sanders) are kind of on the same level because they’re not your typical coach. They’re different. They bring swagger to it. He pulls up in the old school cars with the cigar.

“I’m always asking, ‘Where was he at five years ago?’ Because he would have been a hell of a coach to play for.”

King said there is a chance he could have thrived for a long time under such a coach.

King played at a high level throughout his six seasons with the Raiders, but displayed more flash and personality than most punters. He was eventually released during the 2018 offseason and signed with the Broncos, who cut him when he was injured after four games.

Jon Gruden, who was the coach at the time, allegedly wasn’t a big fan of King’s antics.

King never got another shot in the NFL, a slight he believes was based more on personality than ability. King led the league in punting one year and was a second-team All-Pro in another.

“People don’t like what they don’t understand, and I know it’s hard to understand me unless you get a chance to sit and talk to me to get to know who I am as a human,” he said. “A lot of people don’t take the time, though, and I’m sure it definitely had an effect on me not playing in the NFL right now.”

At 35, he’s back for a second season in the United Football League, where he averaged 45.4 yards per punt last year.

He hopes he can parlay another successful season into another shot in the NFL.

“I still feel like there’s a weird chance I can still get back to the NFL, and I definitely want to do that so I can finish things on my own terms,” he said. “I feel like I’m still one of the best. Even if I got in the NFL, I’d still be in the top five. Nobody is outpunting me in a game.”

For now, King is left wondering what could have been. According to him, there have been more record labels reaching out about his music than NFL teams contacting him to punt.

He says it bothered him for a long time that he couldn’t get straight answers, but he is now more at peace about it.

He’s comfortable with his legacy if he never gets another chance.

“To be the fifth Black punter in the history of the NFL and be very good, I didn’t half-step anything,” he said. “I definitely feel like I made a footprint in the game. If I don’t get back, it will be aggravating because I just want a straight answer as to why. I still know I belong in the NFL.”

King also discussed his music, his favorite music and several other subjects during the full interview, which can be viewed above.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.