Raiders' Kicking Position is Up for Grabs

Would Raiders bring back Sebastian Janikowski? Or will they continue with Giorgio Tavecchio, dip into the draft or sign a veteran?

Giorgio Tavecchio had a storybook beginning to his first NFL season. In the Raiders’ opening-day win over the Titans, the kicker made all four of his field-goal tries and was 2-of-2 on PATs in a 26-16 victory.

Tavecchio, who had bounced around several training camps trying to make a roster, was brilliant, earning a game ball and AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He was the first kicker ever to make two field goals of 50 or more yards in his pro debut.

But after Game 1, Tavecchio had just an average season for the Raiders. As the replacement for the franchise’s all-time scoring leader, Sebastian Janikowki, Tavecchio made 16-of-21 field-goal tries – just a 76.2 percent success rate that gave Oakland the 24th-ranked rate in the NFL.

As the Raiders move into their offseason, one question the organization must decide will be if Tavecchio returns. And, if not, would it be a good move to bring back Janikowski?

Tavecchio signed just a one-year deal with Oakland before the season began, when it was determined Janikowski – in the final year of his contract – was too injured to play.

Now Jankiowski, too, is entering free agency, and there likely are many teams that may have interest in him, despite the fact he’s 39.

In 2016, Janikowski showed he still had one of the strongest legs in the league. He hit three field goals of 50 or more yards, had an 82.9 percent success rate on field goals (29-of-35) and still put plenty of kickoffs in opposing end zones.

Even at his age – he’ll turn 40 on March 2 – Janikowski would likely be an upgrade over Tavecchio, and he’d come in and be right at home with holder Marquette King and long snapper Jon Condo. Plus, he wouldn't command the huge contract he last signed with Oakland. No doubt GM Reggie McKenzie could sign him at a lower price.

If the Raiders decide to go another direction and bring in a rookie or veteran free agent for the job, Janikowski might even wind up kicking against the Raiders a couple of times in 2018 with another AFC West team.

This week, Travis Wakeman, who writes about the Los Angeles Chargers for Fansided, suggested Chargers GM Tom Telesco would be wise to sign Janikowski after the Chargers’ kickers in 2017 were unreliable. And, he pointed out that still-reliable kickers such as Phil Dawson, Adam Vinatieri and Matt Bryant are all older than Janikowski.

“As soon as the free-agent negotiation process begins, Jankikowski should be one of the first guys Telesco is on the phone with,” wrote Wakeman. “The team could easily get three or four good seasons out of him, which would be worth the cost of bringing him in.”

Watching Janikowski kick field goals for the Chargers vs. the Raiders in 2018 certainly would be a strange and unhappy experience for Raiders fans.

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