
Sebastian Janikowski
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Janikowski (hamstring) is retiring from the NFL, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Janikowski has had one of the best careers of any kicker in NFL history, playing 19 seasons and making 436 career field goals, which is good enough to be tied for ninth all-time with Jason Elam. He spent last season with Seattle and made 22 of 27 attempts as well as 48 out of 51 extra point attempts before pulling his hamstring in the team's post-season loss to Dallas.
Janikowski converted the game-winning, 33-yard field goal versus the Cardinals on Sunday. He also hit a 42-yarder and all three extra points.
This is the third time this year Janikowski drilled a field goal to win the game with time expiring. Janikowski finished the season making 22 of 27 field goals (81 percent) and 48 of 51 extra points (94 percent). He showed he can still knock home the deep kick, too, with a 56-yard field goal in Week 2 versus the Bears. The 40-year-old still has some juice left in the tank, but he's regressing faster than the 46-year-old Adam Vinatieri did at that age. Janikowski's contract with the Seahawks will expire after this season, so Seattle may re-sign him if the market for kickers is dry.
The Seahawks signed Janikowski to a one-year contract Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The Raiders' all-time leading scorer by a wide margin, Janikowski's tenure with the team came to an abrupt halt last season, when a contract dispute was followed by a back injury that kept him on IR all year. He was fairly efficient in the three previous seasons, connecting on at least 80 percent of his field-goal attempts on each occasion. Moreover, he nailed 75 of 78 extra-point tries from the longer distance introduced in 2015. Upon his arrival in Seattle, Janikowski will compete with Jason Myers for the place-kicking job.
Janikowski will not require surgery on the injured disc in his back, and he could return in eight weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Janikowski was surprisingly placed on injured reserve Saturday after initially being listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. The possibility that he could return is a plus for the Raiders, though with only two opportunities to use the IR-return designation, it's unclear if they would use it on him.
DFS Last 5
Week | Date | Opponent | Pts |
---|---|---|---|
18 | Jan 5th | @Rams | |
17 | Dec 27th | @Bears | |
16 | Dec 22nd | Vikings | |
15 | Dec 16th | Packers | |
14 | Dec 8th | @Cardinals | |
13 | Dec 1st | @Jets |