Marquette King hardly has been a typical punter. His NFL career was marked by outspoken comments, an active social media presence, the launching of a music career and plenty of on-field celebrations.

Then came Oct. 8, 2018, when he was released by the Broncos. King initially was not upset about it but said he soon went down a dark path.

King, who had been one of NFL’s top punters with the Oakland Raiders from 2013-17, had signed a three-year, $7 million contract with the Broncos on April 5, 2018, but soon fell off. Playing only the first four games of the season, King averaged career lows with a gross punting average of 44.1 and a net average of 39.7. After he suffered an adductor injury, he was placed on injured reserve and the Broncos then sent him on his way with an injury settlement.

King, though, figured he would hook on with another NFL team. He said his struggles with the Broncos were due to then special-teams coordinator Tom McMahon changing his punting style, something he said led to his injury.

“I got really happy after I was let go from the Broncos,’’ King told The Denver Gazette. “I was just happy to get out.”

But that didn’t last. Weeks went by. So did months. Then years. And the strong-legged King, 36, has never ended up again on an NFL roster.

King said there were times when he fell into depression and times when thoughts of suicide entered his mind. King said he actually first had fallen into depression when he was surprisingly released by the Raiders on March 30, 2018 after Jon Gruden had taken over as head coach. There has been plenty of speculation King was let go due to his celebratory antics on the field and that he didn’t act like a typical punter, but Gruden told The Denver Gazette the move was made for salary-cap reasons.

“When I got let go by the Raiders, I went downhill,’’ King said. “I was depressed. Even with the Broncos, I was depressed. Then when I got let go, I got happy as hell for a couple of weeks and then (the depression) came back. It would come in waves. It would be a couple of days when I’m good, then a couple of days when I’m just going to sit in the house all day and chill. … I went deep down the worm hole.”

Even though NFL teams haven’t been calling, King said he is now doing well, and that he has become “bulletproof.” He is a top punter in the spring United Football League for the Arlington (Texas) Renegades, the third straight year he has played for them.

His singing of what he calls a mixture of pop, hip-hop and electronic dance music has landed King a number of concert dates, including gigs later this year in Japan, Australia and China. King, who first got into music about eight years ago, said delving more into it played a role in breaking out of his depression, which he said lasted for “about three and a half years” from late 2018 until 2022.

“I love myself too much to just take myself out,’’ said King, speaking after his Renegades lost 33-30 on May 18 to the D.C. Defenders at Washington’s Audi Field. “But I’ve thought about it.”

Asked to clarify that he was talking about suicide, King said, “Oh, 100%.” King said he had those thoughts primarily in late 2018 and that part of his road back inlcuded having long talks with his cousin Gregory Rhymes.

“My cousin was somebody I could talk to at the time,’’ said King, “I just dealt with it, man. It is nice to have somebody to kind of let you know that they’re there for you. … I made enough money playing in the (NFL). I ended up getting notoriety for it. I basically did what I’ve always wanted to do since I was younger. This ain’t a bad spot because even if (his NFL career) stops now, I did it.

“The music helped me a lot, a whole lot. It felt really good to get my art out. … Like I said, I thought about (suicide), but it ain’t like I was going to go all the way through with it because I love myself too much and we ain’t got no brochure to see what the next phase (of life) is.”

During his time of struggles, King also kept in touch with Greg Coleman, who was one of the NFL’s first Black punters, having played for Cleveland, Minnesota and Washington from 1977-88. Coleman, 70, said he would regularly talk to and text King in an effort to boost his spirits.

“He was not happy about not getting an (NFL) opportunity and my message to Marquette was constantly one of hope,’’ Coleman said. “When a person loses hope, they shut the world off and that depression that Marquette was in, he shut the world off. … I still encourage him. I still leave him texts. I’m still in his corner but I’m glad he’s doing (well).”

Coleman has known King since he was a senior in 2011 at Fort Valley (Ga.) State, a historically Black college and university (HBCU).

“We established a relationship regardless of the color of our skin but we do share part of the same journey,’’ said Coleman, who went on to become a Vikings radio and television broadcaster before he retired after the 2021 season and now lives in Jacksonville, Fla. “At Fort Valley, he called me and he asked if I could check him out. I came to a game in Tallahassee (Fla.), and they were playing Florida A&M. I saw this guy punt and I said he has the ability to go to the next level, and we’ve had a relationship since then. I’m his O.G. (old guy) and he’s my little guy.”

With all of this in mind, Coleman is infuriated that King hasn’t been able to get back in the NFL since being let go by the Broncos. King didn’t disagree when asked if he has been blackballed by the league.

“I think it’s a travesty,’’ Coleman said. “I think it’s a God-darn shame. Because he has a personality and he’s gifted and he wags his own tail, nobody will pick up the phone (to call King). I’ve asked GMs and coaches why this kid is not kicking in the league, and nobody has an answer. He’s still one of the top punters walking the face of the earth. He still has the ability to punt in the NFL at 36 years old and he’s better than half the punters now. All he needs is an opportunity.”

King made the most of his initial NFL opportunity after being undrafted out of Fort Valley State in 2012. He signed with the Raiders and spent 2012 on injured reserve before winning the punting job in 2013.

King led the NFL in 2013 with a gross punting average of 48.9 yards, led the league in 2014 with 109 punts and 4,930 yards and was second-team All-Pro in 2016. In five Raiders seasons, he averaged 46.8 yards gross and 40.8 net.

But the flamboyant King also landed in the news for other reasons. He was active and controversial on social media. He celebrated regularly on the field, including when the Raiders played the Broncos making a mock gesture of riding a horse after a good boot.

King was called for four personal fouls in his final two Raiders season, including one in a a 2016 game in which he danced with the penalty flag and spiked it after a Buffalo player had been called for roughing him. Also in the 2016 season, he ripped a chain off Raiders teammate Michael Crabtree and then reennacted the scene at the Pro Bowl for a photo with then Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib. After he signed with the Broncos, he said there would be a “revenge factor” when facing the Raiders.

“I wasn’t the normal punter and I wasn’t going to be the normal punter because I never grew up like a normal punter’’ said King, a native of Macon, Ga. “I went to HBCU. We didn’t have any of the stuff (other punters had). I’m just different. I’m me. Everybody’s different in their own way. I just don’t act like a regular punter.”

King said he had “no idea” why he was released from the Raiders and was blindsided. The Athletic reported then that King’s antics played a significant role in the move, but Gruden said that wasn’t the case.

Gruden told The Denver Gazette the move was made for cap reasons, with King two years into a five-year, $16.5 million contract and due to earn $3.05 million in 2018. Gruden was two months on the job when King was let go and coached the Raiders until he resigned midway through the 2021 season after emails had surfaced of him using racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language.

“I never met Marquette King,’’ Gruden said. “We obviously were a new regime coming in there and we had salary-cap issues and we made a decision. I wish we could have kept all the players. I don’t know anything about his antics. I hope he’s doing well, I hope he’s punting great and I hope he gets another (NFL) shot.”

After being let go by the Raiders, King said he went “to Denver with my heart broke.” And it didn’t work out.

“It just wasn’t the right place for me,’’ he said. “I didn’t have the right coach.”

King said McMahon, who was Denver’s special teams coordinator from 2018-21 and now has that position with the Raiders, changed his punting style.

“There were certain things that I was getting told to do that I wasn’t built to do,’’ King said. “I wasn’t a soccer player, so the things that he asked me to do a person that played soccer would be able to do that. It was like some weird-like walk left, swing your leg right thing and it just kept tearing my adductor muscle and it kept hurting and I just wasn’t built for it.”

Through a Raiders spokesperson, McMahon declined comment.

“I do remember them trying to change the way he punted, and I remember they were getting mad because he wasn’t punting great in games,’’ said defensive tackle Shelby Harris, who was King’s teammate on the Raiders from 2014-15 and on the Broncos in 2018 and now plays for Cleveland.

Tight end Jake Butt, King’s teammate on the Broncos in 2018, said there was a “disconnect” between King and McMahon. Butt said he was not aware of specifics regarding a possible change to King’s punting style but said his style of booming balls didn’t always fit with McMahon’s philosophy.

“Marquette had one of the biggest legs you could imagine,’’ Butt said. “He could punt it 70 yards, 80 yards or so. But I felt there might have been some disconnect in if you’re playing Tyreek Hill, the ball needs to be on a specific set of numbers.”

Hill, a wide receiver now with Miami, had a 37-yard return of a 51-yard King punt for Kansas City at Denver on Oct. 1, 2018. That turned out to be King’s last NFL game.

Butt now works as a broadcaster, including as a sideline reporter for some UFL games on Fox. He has dealt with King over the past two years and has been pleased to see him do well in the league. King is averaging 47.1 yards gross through nine games in the 10-game season.

“Marquette has always been a great guy to me,’’ Butt said. “He’s got a good heart. He’s probably one of the best athletes on any given team regardless of that he’s a punter.”

Butt said he would welcome seeing King return to the NFL. So would Harris, who is stunned he hasn’t been on a NFL roster since 2018.

“I just know the skill he has,’’ Harris said. “It was surprising that it didn’t work out with the Broncos and even when it didn’t work out, I was expecting him to catch on somewhere else. … I just don’t think the league was ready for a punter who had as much personality as Marquette. … With him being an outspoken punter, it was easy for them to just disregard him.”

Harris, who has continued to keep in touch with King, said he never had any issue with the punter’s flamboyant style.

“Marquette’s not a typical punter,” Harris said. “He’s a different kind of cat. But he’s got a monster leg and he can really be a game changer. Marquette was a wonderful teammate and one of the best teammates I ever had.”

After leaving the Broncos, King had a workout with Houston in 2019 and with Dallas in 2021, but he’s never even been back to a training camp. He was asked if he believes he has been blackballed.

“I mean, I haven’t been picked up,’’ he said. “So that’s what it’s kind of looking like a lot, I ain’t going to lie. I just feel like I’m not getting a shot.”

Asked if he believes he hasn’t gotten that shot due to being regarded as too controversial for a punter, King said, “100%.”

With his love of punting, something he calls “therapy,” King joined the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020, and averaged 45.7 yards gross before the league folded after five games due to the coronavirus pandemic. He finally got another league to play in when the XFL restarted in 2023, and he averaged 45.4 yards for Arlington. The Renegades then joined the first-year UFL in 2024, and he averaged 48.5 yards.

After last season, King campaigned for an NFL team to pick him up, writing on social media, “You can’t tell me that there are 32 punters better than me.”

“I know the resume that I bring to the league,’’ King said about that comment. “I know the resume that I’ve created my whole career, and I can still do it now, and I’m still showing it on national television. All it takes is just a coach to have lunch with me at least and sit and have a talk and get to know me as person. … A lot of people only got a chance to know me from a distance.

“I’m older now, so it’s different. … I can’t change who I am, especially not at 36, and I’m not going to change who I am. But I know how to be respectful. I know if a coach wants something done, I’ll make it happen.”

In the meantime, King said he is enjoying his time in the UFL.

“It’s cool, man,’’ said King, whose hair is braided and dyed gold. “They allow you to be more yourself and have a little more fun and it’s cool. I enjoy it, man.”

With that in mind, King hasn’t toned down his celebrations. He has recreated the one he used to make against the Broncos, rolling it out this season when Renegades played at the Birmingham Stallions. After a good punt, he has turned to road fans and made a gesture that he can’t hear them.

“He’s an awesome guy to be around,’’ said Arlington long snapper Antonio Ortiz. “He just likes to have fun and enjoy himself, so you might see a little bit of celebrations. He likes doing that, which is not really conventional (for a punter), you could say.”

Renegades kicker Lukas Havrisik, 25, long has been a fan of the punter. He grew up in Riverside, Calif., watching videos of King punting on YouTube.

“He was balling,’’ Havrisik said. “I watched some of those Kohl’s (kicking camp) videos where he was hitting like 5.85 (seconds) hang time, which is unreal for a punter. A lot of guys from the team who don’t even punt, they watched him at a young age.”

Havrisik joked that King is a “grandpa” on the team. With that in mind, King doesn’t deny that at his age the odds are stacked against him for a return to the NFL.

“I always hope for another opportunity at the NFL, and I think I am getting to the point where I want to start moving on and do more stuff with music,’’ King said. “I’m enjoying that a lot more. Football’s fun. I can physically do it, but sometimes there are days where I’m like, ‘Man, do I really want to do it?”’

King said this “could be” his last UFL season but “you never know.” The Renegades have been eliminated from playoff contention, so their 2025 finale will be next Sunday at the San Antonio Brahmas.

After that, King will turn more of his attention to music. He has about 44,000 followers on his YouTube channel. He was a musical guest at the UFL Championship Game last June in St. Louis.

“I was using music as therapy at the time when I wasn’t picked up (by NFL teams after his release by the Broncos),’’ King said. “And now I’m kind of just making songs along the way throughout life. … I want to be known as a musician because art’s a great way to express yourself.”

King said he considers the depression he once went through to be long behind him.

“I’m feel like I’m bulletproof now when it comes to be able to manage my emotions and see things a certain way,’’ he said. “I feel bulletproof.”