Longtime NFL kicker Sebastian Janikowski has announced his retirement after 19 seasons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Janikowski, 41, was selected 17th overall by the Raiders in the 2000 draft and spent the subsequent 18 campaigns in Oakland. Only one other kicker (Steve Little in 1978) has ever been chosen in the first round of the draft, and only three kickers have been selected in the first three rounds since Janinkowski went in the first (Nate Kaeding, Mike Nugent, Roberto Aguayo).
Clearly, it would have been difficult for any kicker to live up to Janikowski’s draft billing, but he did accrue statistics simply by being available. He’ll finish his career with the ninth-most field goal attempts (563) in league history, although his conversion rate (80.4%) ranks just 37th. Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric, which attempts to boil down a player’s contributions to a single number, ranks Janikowski as the 13th-most valuable kicker in NFL history.
A Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro member in 2011, Janikowski left the Raiders in 2018, signing a contract with the Seahwaks after spending the previous season on injured reserve. He made 22-of-27 attempts for Seattle, and his 81.5% conversion rate ranked just 23rd among all kickers. Janikowski wasn’t expected to be re-signed by the Seahawks, who have since added free agent Jason Myers.
Janikowksi will hang up his cleats as the NFL’s all-time highest-paid kicker with more than $53MM in career earnings. PFR extends its best wishes to “Seabass” as he enters retirement.
I dunno if a kicker is ever worth a first round pick, but he would be as close as it gets. Should be the 5th kicker to get into canton.
No way…
“He’ll finish his career with the ninth-most field goal attempts (563) in league history, although his conversion rate (80.4%) ranks just 37th.”
Which is ahead of Morten Andersen (79.7%) who is in the HOF.
Slightly different expectations with the different eras, kickers have become more accurate over the years. Plus Morton put up 2544 points to his 1913.
Congrats on a great career… Man he was a hell of a kicker
i remember going to a “home” game in SanDiego where all 15 points for the Raiders were drilled by Seabass’s right foot.
Sorry, you must not have been Seabass if they came off the right foot.
Lol
I guess Khalil Mack couldn’t convince him to tryout for the Bears.