If you are a football fan, you know the name Sebastian Janikowski. The man is a living legend and made being an NFL kicker look like the best job on the planet. In 2019, it became time to cheers the fan-favorite because he stepped away for good.
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After 19 seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, Janikowski decided to hang up the cleats and start living his retirement life. Needless to say, it was the end of the era for a man who hails from Poland and is now 42 years old.
Janikowski made more money than any kicker in NFL history — $53 million to be exact — but what is the former 17th overall pick doing with all that money now that he's retired and what is he up to in 2020?
Sebastian Janikowski NFL Career
Sebastian Janikowski is reportedly retiring after 19 seasons in the NFL
Career Stats:
284 Games
436/542 Field Goals Made
Career Long: 63-Yarder
80.4 FG%
98.5 XP%
1x Pro Bowler pic.twitter.com/aBPs4hFwWq— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) April 28, 2019
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At 6-foot-1 and 260 pounds, the Polish man everybody calls Seabass was not your normal kicker, but he become one of the greatest of all time at his position. He was bigger than everyone, had a rocket launcher for a left leg, and made kicks nobody else really could for two decades.
Janikowski finishes his career after 284 regular-season games (16th all-time), 436 made field goals (9th), 542 field goal attempts (10th), and 1,913 points scored (10th), according to NFL.com.
"It was a good run," he told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "I still think of the Super Bowl — it still hurts."
An All-American kicker at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, Janikowski was an absolute stud playing for the Florida State Seminoles. He was a two-time Consensus All-American, won the Lou Garza Award in 1998 and 1999, and helped Bobby Bowden's 'Noles win the 2000 BCS National Championship over the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Janikowski was then selected in the first round (No. 17 overall) by the Oakland Raiders in the 2000 NFL Draft, where he would play all but one season in the Bay Area, and many with longtime punter Shane Lechler. The Raiders were pretty bold and daring to take a kicker as one of their top draft picks, but it certainly proved to be the best decision.
Only New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady remains in the league from that 2000 draft.
JANIKOWSKI!!!
Happy retirement to a man with one of the biggest legs of all time!!! pic.twitter.com/P8T1UZmVHH
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) April 28, 2019
Although he only made one Pro Bowl in 2011, which just doesn't seem right or make a lot of sense in NFL history, Janikowski still connected on 80 percent of his field goals and 98.5 percent of his extra points. He even blasted a 63-yard field goal against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football that same year in 2011. He shared the NFL record for the longest field goal with Tom Dempsey, Jason Elam, Graham Gano and David Akers before Matt Prater broke it with a 64-yard boot in 2013.
So, what was next for 41-year-old Seabass when he hung up his cleats? Well, he had a hilarious new job lined up.
Sebastian Janikowski Now
Things you don’t see every Friday night: Sebastian Janikowski taking a selfie with the Seabreeze student section during halftime. Janikowski and Eric Weems were inducted into the Seabreeze Hall of Fame tonight @Seabreeze_FB @FlaHSFootball pic.twitter.com/4DsAUnf8YJ
— Zach Dean (@TeamZachDean) October 26, 2019
Janikowski has been laying low since last booting balls on the gridiron. He's still worth $14 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In October 2019, he was inducted into the Seabreeze High School Hall of Fame. The best part may have been that he celebrated with the student section at the game. What a legend. Even in his 40s, Seabass proves to act like a big kid.
Janikowski now spends a majority of his time as a cab driver. Well, sort of.
Sebastian Janikowski told ESPN that, after 19 seasons, he is retiring from NFL at the age of 41: “It was a good run. I still think of the Super Bowl - it still hurts.” He plans to turn into a cab driver, taking his 3 girls to school. Seabass made more $ than any K in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 28, 2019
Janikowski and his wife, Lori, have three daughters together: 8-year old twins Mila and Vi and a 3-year-old named Vada. He told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he enjoys being a father and picking the girls up from school as well as "sitting poolside" and "roasting marshmallows over a backyard campfire."
As of now, Seabass has no plans to return to the game as a coach.
"There could be different opportunities with football, with soccer maybe. I don't know," Janikowski told the News-Journal. "I just want to spend time with my family for now, and see what comes around."
Sebastian Janikowski deserves every bit of his retirement. Just make sure to turn those marshmallows every once in a while, Seabass.
