Sebastian Janikowski has been playing football for so long that he played for the Florida State team that won a national title after the 1999 regular season. He was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders, and he has been with them for his entire career. He is the longest tenured player with one team aside from Tom Brady, and he is the leading scorer in the history of the franchise.
The Raiders have been terrible for much of his career aside from that Super Bowl trip where they lost to the Bucs, but Janikowski has always been there. The Raiders, however, are run much better now, and he may need to take a pay cut.
Why take a pay cut now?
The Raiders are playing quite well over the last couple of years, but Janikowski has suffered through years and years of mediocrity. He has been through so many bad seasons that many of us forgot he was even in the league. He has surpassed the scoring record for the franchise with no fanfare at all, and taking a pay cut now would be tantamount to giving up money just because the team finally decided to improve. Sebastian deserves more than a gold watch.
They cannot do better
The Raiders cannot do better than Janikowski right now. They could sign anyone they wanted for much less money, but they will not find someone who is as good as Janikowski.
He is the last person to be drafted by Al Davis on this team, and he is a stellar talent.
He came from Poland to play football because he has a gift, and taking less money for that gift now would be silly. The Raiders know they cannot find a better kicker, and they should be concerned about what would happen if they need a crucial field goal to be kicked.
He is not budging
Janikowski has never been one to talk a lot, and he is keeping quiet as he simply chooses not to sign any new deals.
He will not rework his contract, and he will likely force the Raiders to either cut him or pay him. They will likely cut him because they will not traffic in loyalty alone, but there is no way to know unless the deadline comes without a new contract.
I am of the mind to believe Janikowski would be happy to retire if he cannot reach an agreement with the Raiders.
It would be sad because he is brilliant, has kicked a 63 yard field goal, and is surely going to be a hall of famer one day.
Sebastian Janikowski has the right to be paid for his long years of good service to the Raiders, but they have a right to get younger if they are ready to move on from the Al Davis era with one last move.
