MKRob Sports

After making Sebastian Janikowski the only kicker of his generation to be a first-round draft choice, the Oakland Raiders have now made him the highest-paid place-kicker in the game. Janikowski’s four-year, $16 million contract carries $9 million in guarantees.

This deal sets a new bar for a free-agent kicker market that includes successful veterans like Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed, Arizona’s Neil Rackers and Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham. Rackers and Graham had big late-game misses in the playoffs, but over all, the two have been among the league’s most accurate kickers the past few years. Reed, like Janikowski, has had off-field issues, but he’s dependable under pressure.

With no salary cap, teams could be more inclined to pay a steeper price for a kicker. This, of course, could lead to these kickers being slapped with a franchise tag (which was the case with Graham last year). Either way, Janikowski should receive thank-you notes from his fellow kickers.

From: The Fifth Down