Oakland Raiders NFL Trade, Roster Rumors: Sebastian Janikowski's Future With Raiders Murky Due to Contract Dispute
Sebastian Janikowski has been the one constant for the Oakland Raiders over the years. He has been a part of the team through all of the ups and downs, and he has never played for another National Football League (NFL) franchise since he entered the league in 2000.
The veteran placekicker is the longest-tenured player in franchise history, and he also happens to be the Raiders' all-time leading scorer. Janikowski has etched his name in the team's record books, but his days wearing the silver and black may be numbered because of a contract dispute.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders want Janikowski to rework his contract and take less next season, but the veteran kicker refused to give in thus far.
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Janikowski is set to make $4.05 million this season, and his contract will become fully guaranteed if he is still on the Raiders' roster this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. If he refuses to take a pay cut, the Raiders may be forced to release him.
According to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, this is a common tactic used by NFL teams to pressure players into taking less money.
"The Raiders are deploying a common tactic, squeezing a veteran to take less money so late in the process that the player has no other options. With kickers, however, it's far easier land elsewhere. The real question is whether another team will pay Janikowski more than whatever the Raiders are offering," Florio said.
"For Janikowski's agent, the challenge is to gauge the marker (a/k/a induce other teams to tamper) so that Janikowski will know what's behind Door No. 2 before making a decision on Door No. 1," he added.
Meanwhile, the Raiders worked out kickers Mike Nugent, Josh Lambo and Marshall Koehn on Monday because the team was reportedly concerned about Janikowski's back issues.
Will the Raiders really part ways with Janikowski before the season opener?
