Marquette King denies his celebrations or his personality are reasons Oakland cut him. The punter said he never even met Jon Gruden.
“I just saw him on car commercials and stuff,” King said in a conference call with Denver writers, via quotes distributed by the team. “I get to see him two times a year [now].”
King joined the Broncos on Thursday, agreeing to a three-year deal worth up to $7 million. He chose Denver because it was the best fit, he said, but added, “There is somewhat of a revenge factor in there, too.”
King won’t wear No. 7 in Denver, obviously, and he will retire the bucking Bronco celebration.
“Now it’s time to find a new celebration, because that’s when I was trying to troll y’all,” he said.
King, 29, can’t wait to punt in Denver. He calls it a “punter’s paradise” because of the altitude, and then there’s the Broncos’ organization itself.
“The cool thing about the Broncos is the people that work at the Broncos encourage you to be yourself,” King said. “That is real cool. Players play a lot better when they can let their hair down and be themselves. It’s cool. They encourage it. But no, I don’t think that’s what the reason was [for his departure from Oakland]. Everybody has their own way of doing things. Maybe that is how they felt they wanted to do things. More power to them.”
He will continue celebrating, though he vows the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are a thing of the past.
“I’m still going to have fun,” King said. “I’m still going to dance and still celebrate. I’m going to be me. Nothing is going to stop me from being me. The flags—I got three flags two years ago and one flag last year—it’s in the past. I’m just looking forward to doing my thing and making sure I’m working on my composure and doing the right things to making sure the team is in the best situation possible.”