Sebastian Janikowski‘s 18-year run with the Raiders has come to an end. On Wednesday, the Raiders informed the kicker that he will not be re-signed for the 2018 season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Last offseason, Janikowski initially balked when the Raiders asked him to take a pay cut, and that nearly marked the end of his tenure in Oakland. The kicker eventually acquiesced, but a preseason back injury kept him off of the field for the entire season.
Janikowski’s replacement, Giorgio Tavecchio, may have the inside track on the job, but new coach Jon Gruden could also open up a competition. Last year, the 27-year-old (28 in July), connected on 76.2% of his field goal tries and made 33 of 34 extra point attempts.
Before 2017, the 2000 first-round pick missed four games with the Raiders, and his 268 appearances are the most in franchise history. Despite his long-running history with team, the Raiders clearly had concerns about his age and possible decline. In 2016, Janikowski made 82.9% of his field goals and went 37-of-39 on extra point tries. He has not cleared the 83% mark on field goals since 2014. If not for the timing of the team announcing a move to Las Vegas, Janikowski might have been released before the 2017 season.
Janikowski turns 40 in March, but it seems likely that he’ll want to continue playing.
With Janikowski out of the picture in Oakland, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady stands as the only player from the 2000 NFL draft still with the team that drafted him.
Would you say he actually was worth the first round pick or no matter what he did a Kicker isn’t worth spending a first round pick on?
Janikowski had some great years, but he wasn’t lights out every season. Very hard to justify that first-round selection. Hard to justify for any kicker.
I agree that it’s hard to justify a 1st (or even 2nd) rounder on a kicker, but he spent 18 seasons with OAK so I’d say they got their value out of that pick. Look how the 1st rounder spent by Tampa on Aguayo worked out.
Ok so Aguayo was a 2nd rounder, but it cost Tampa 2 picks to move up and take him
Yes, he spent 18 years with the Raiders, but the real evaluation comes from stacking Janikowski’s value versus an average kicker (VORK?) and looking at some of the players the Raiders missed out on like Shaun Alexander, Keith Bulluck, and Chad Clifton.
In retrospect yes, if you look at who was taken after him in the draft besides Shaun Alexander (taken two picks after him), Keith Bulluck (taken 13 picks after him) and Tom Brady it’s a hodge podge of decent to nobody players. Not really a great draft in general which makes it an easier to be ok with taking a kicker in the first round. Could have been worse, they could have taken Ron Dayne at 9 like the Giants did.
Agree with this. The rest of that draft was pretty average to bad aside from those three players you mentioned. Considering the success and longevity of his career, I think you have to say that he was worth the pick. There are some first round picks who barely make it to their second contract so Janikowski lasting as long as he did is definitely a win.
Ehh probably still a reach in the mid first. If he was taken in the 30’s I’d say he’d be worth it
I’m of the mind you never draft a kicker early and honestly, you can get some good kickers that were undrafted.
Kick their A$$ Seabass
Chargers should sign him
At the time no kicker was worth a first round pick. With extra points pushed back and if you can get a reliable kicker from 55+ yards. I could somewhat understand a kicker at the very end of round 1.
(Comic Book Guy voice) *ahem* CLEARLY it was a bad move as they should have taken Tom Brady with that pick!
the pick might have been a bit of a reach but the team went to the playoffs the first three years he played and would have had 2 SB appearances if not for the tuck rule.
He was one of the few guys Oakland could count on for over a decade after that, hope he gets a decent shot at another season or walks away with dignity.
Yes because all 40 year old kickers with pierced ball bags deserve dignity……