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Sebastian Janikowski is alive and kicking. Has been kicking since Week 8 last season, in fact.
And the man known to his teammates as “Seabass” intends to keep on kicking after 19 years, a franchise record 268 games and approximately $46 million in salary and bonus money.
“When I got healthy, I thought I was going to come back and kick, but that obviously wasn’t the plan,” Janikowski said Wednesday by phone in an exclusive interview with the Bay Area News Group. “I mean, it’s a business. I’ve been doing this for so long. I know what’s going on.”
Janikowski, who turns 40 on March 2, had not ruled out returning to the Raiders until Valentine’s Day when he got a call from his agent informing him that the team was going in another direction.
The team’s No. 1 draft pick in 2000 (17th overall), Janikowski spent all of 2017 on injured reserve. A back injury before the regular-season opener put him there and he stayed there as Giorgio Tavecchio handled place-kicking duties.
Since there had been no discussions regarding a new contract, Janikowski wasn’t surprised by the news he received on Valentine’s Day. He’d talked with new coach Jon Gruden — the man who coached the Raiders when Janikowski was a rookie — but said those conversations were congratulatory in nature and there were no discussions beyond that.
Both Janikowski and the Raiders have issued statements regarding his departure, with gratitude expressed on both sides.
Janikowski admits Gruden’s return piqued his interest in coming back for another season in Silver and Black.
“I mean, there’s always going to be sentimental feelings,” Janikowski said. “I would like to, but after being in the NFL so long and understanding the business, you’ve got to move on. The Raider Nation has always supported me and I love it.”
During the course of an interview, Janikowski talked about the circumstances of his injury last season, his thoughts on Gruden’s return and how difficult it was to watch the Raiders play so poorly in 2017:
— How he was injured.
“People thought it was when I slipped on an extra-point in the preseason,” Janikowski said. “It happened during the week of practice before we went to Tennessee. I did it on a kickoff. I planted my foot really hard and my foot got stuck and I felt it in my back right away.”
— Agreeing to a $1-million pay cut, and the Raiders keeping Janikowski on the payroll after his injury.
“We’ve got mutual respect for each other,” Janikowski said. “They did the right thing. I did the right thing.”
— The decision to keep him on injured reserve. Janikowski was eligible to be activated after Week 8, but the Raiders didn’t make a move. His last chance evaporated Nov. 26, when the Raiders activated cornerback Antonio Hamilton.
“I was getting healthy, getting a lot of treatments,” Janikowski said. “I went up to the office and said, `What’s the situation?’ Reggie said they were going to go with Giorgio.”
At that point, Janikowski cleaned out his locker with the team’s blessing and moved to Florida with his wife and three daughters.
— The overall play of the Raiders in 2017, who fell to 6-10 after going 12-4 the previous year.
“The chemistry was different,” Janikowski said. “I felt like the guys never got on the same page on offense, defense, special teams. There wasn’t the same emotion or feeling. People were just cruising through it. Jack (Del Rio) did a good job. I just feel like some players didn’t take responsibility. You’ve got to commit.”
— What to expect from Gruden, Janikowski’s first NFL coach.
“Energy. Just full of surprises,” Janikowski said. “He’s going to yell at you. He’s going to love you. He’s going to hate you. He’s going to be all of the above. That’s what some guys need.”
Janikowski and Gruden have remained in contact over the years, and he is grateful for the way the head coach gave him some tough love that included an erratic rookie season both on and off the field.
“I can’t tell you what happened because it was behind closed doors, but I got a talking-to,” Janikowski said. “He’s a great coach and he’s going to help them tremendously.”
— His health and the possibility of playing for another team. Come March 14 and the start of free agency, Janikowski hopes to be working out for prospective employers to find a new team at age 40.
“I’ve been kicking since Week 8 last year,” Janikowski said. “I’m doing more than I usually do this time of year. I usually wait until the beginning of April. Hopefully it will be a new beginning, a new city. I’ve got some goals to accomplish and I love what I do. I miss it.”
— Favorite Raiders memories.
“Just playing for Al Davis and Mark Davis, playing for Raider Nation,” Janikowski said. “I remember the Super Bowl — to this day it still hurts — but when we were winning it was so fun. I appreciate what the Raiders did for me and hopefully they appreciate what I did for them.”
