Gutierrez: Lechler sees Raiders' coaching shuffle as familiar test for specialists

Nov 14, 2025 at 11:15 AM

Paul Gutierrez

Raiders Columnist

Shane Lechler has seen this before. He's even been through it.

Kinda.

Having punted for eight different coaches in 13 seasons with the Raiders, Lechler feels a certain kinship, a kind of opportunity at hand for his Silver and Black special teams successors with last week's dismissal of coordinator Tom McMahon and his being replaced by Derius Swinton II.

"I think the challenge is always good," Lechler told me on the most recent episode of Upon Further Review. "Obviously, I went through a lot of coaching changes in Oakland and, although a lot of times I didn't like it because my dad was a high school football coach, I always felt like I had the coach's back. I hated to see a guy get fired."

Or, in Jon Gruden's case his first time with the team, traded.

Because after Gruden during Lechler's time with the Raiders came Bill Callahan, followed by Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson and, finally and ironically for Lechler, Dennis Allen, who had actually played host to Lechler on his college visit to Texas A&M.

"But it made me stay sharp because every training camp I had to prove myself again," Lechler continued. "No matter if I just got back from Hawaii from a Pro Bowl, or an All-Pro team, or whatever, I had to prove myself again to a whole other set of people."

Raiders punter AJ Cole, kicker Daniel Carlson and long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer, this era's Lechler, Sebastian Janikowski and Jon Condo, are entering a new era. Perhaps even Carlson moreso, what with the Raiders applying a little pressure to him by signing veteran kicker Greg Joseph to the practice squad, to boot.

"With what AJ and them are going through, I think they're kind of [experiencing] that mid-season, although they know who the [head] coach is," Lechler said. "But it kind of will free him up a little bit and let him [hit] like a reset button and kind of start over mentally for the rest of the season.

"But that's one of the most talented punters I've seen. He's athletic, he's big, he's strong. He gets to kick inside one of the best stadiums in the world. I'd have loved to have kicked in there."

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Playing at least eight games a season in climate-controlled Allegiant Stadium would have no doubt bolstered Lechler's already Canton-worthy resume.

Lechler had already advanced as one of the 52 Modern-Era Players for consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 and awaits the next vote to 25 semifinalists, along with former Raiders guard Steve Wisniewski.

"I've looked at the names on the list and it is very humbling," Lechler said. "There are some guys on there that I am friends with, competed against, enjoyed watching. It's an elite list.

"It's exciting for me. I'm nervous about it, to be honest with you, but I'm excited."

For good reason.

Consider: Not only was Lechler named to both the all-2000s and all-2010s teams, the six-time first-team All-Pro was also a seven-time Pro Bowler, tied with Hall of Famer Ray Guy for most ever such selections by a punter.

And when Lechler retired following the 2017 season, after five years with the Texans, he led the NFL with a career 47.6 yards per punt average.

The current NFL career leader? Cole, who is averaging 48.6 yards per punt.

"The history of the punter position with the Raiders is so cool," Cole told me earlier this season. "So to hear my name compared to those guys, the Shane Lechlers, the Ray Guys, to hear my name in that same sentence is still something that's really cool.

"What Ray Guy did in his era, the coffin corner, and he really is the first one that was consistently hitting these turn over spiral punts. Move into Shane Lechler and he was just smashing the ball downfield in a way that nobody had ever seen before. … I think it's one of those cheesy, Issac Newton shoulders-of-giants kind of a deal where there's no ability for me to do my job the way I do it if those guys didn't go before and kind of show the path."

Chemistry and clutch kicks.

Lechler, SeaBass & Condo reunite to sit down with Baron Davis on this episode of Talk of the Nation. Tune in NOW ➡️ https://t.co/yBlxWga7DJ pic.twitter.com/OLeeSzihyY
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 13, 2025

It's a path Lechler traversed, what with change being the only constant with the Raiders.

"It was a prove-yourself-over-again role for me," he said. "I'm not good with being comfortable. I just feel like I get lazy or I don't stay sharp. And it was an unfortunate way to have to stay sharp, with that many head coaches, but as my career reflected on it, I think it was the best thing.

"I mean, I got drafted by Al Davis and Jon Gruden, which was a tough spot to be in for a rookie, with Jon. I love Jon. I talk to Jon on a regular basis. But he's not easy on rookies. And I needed that. So, it was good. Now, it helped having SeaBass drafted first, because he took a lot more heat than I did, but, oh well."

And it's a path Lechler and Janikowski trudged together early in their careers with the Raiders as draft classmates in 2000 when they had their "Tin Cup" moment.

The two were golfing with Gruden and quarterback Rich Gannon in the East Bay when the foursome approached a Par-5 on the second hole.

"SeaBass was like, 'Hey, let's just lay up in front of the pond and we'll hit over it,'" Lechler recalled. "And I was like, 'Hell no, grab the 3-wood, and let's hit it over it.'

"And Jon's like, 'That's it. That's all I needed to hear. You guys are on my team.'"

For Lechler, who said he learned to be a "pro's pro" from the likes of Gannon, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Lincoln Kennedy, it was the "mystique" of the Raiders organization that got him fired up initially. And set him up for success.

Much like the current Raiders specialists face now.

"I didn't want to be labeled a punter," Lechler said. "I wanted to be labeled an Oakland Raider football player."

One day soon, he may be labeled a Hall of Famer.

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Las Vegas Raiders center Will Putnam (67) in the weight room during practice at Intermountain Health Performance Center.