Marquette King not living up to $6 million contract with Broncos

The Broncos are paying punter Marquette King an average of $2 million per season ($6 million over three years). That’s the 13th-highest average among punters in the NFL. It seems reasonable to expect, then, that King should rank among the top 13 punters in the league.

Through four weeks, though, King is averaging just 44.1 yards per punt, which ranks 23rd among the NFL’s 32 punters.

“He’s got to perform better,” coach Vance Joseph said of King after a 27-23 loss to the Chiefs on Monday night. “We’re at home, and it’s his job to flip the field. That isn’t happening. He’s got to play better.”

King certainly didn’t flip the field against Kansas City.

Denver was leading 23-20 with 4:43 remaining in the game on Monday when the team faced a fourth down from their own 25-yard line.

The Broncos needed a big punt from King to pin the Chiefs deep in their own territory. King responded with a terrible 35-yard punt that gave Kansas City the ball at their own 40-yard line. The Chiefs went on to score the touchdown that turned out to be the difference in the game.

Denver signed punter Colby Wadman to its 10-man practice squad last week. It may be time to consider giving Wadman a chance to punt on game days. King hasn’t lived up to his contract so far.

Related Broncos coach Vance Joseph says team has to get better at punter

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