Signing may signal end for Janikowski with Raiders

Sebastian Janikowski may have played his last game with the Silver and Black.

The Oakland Raiders signed former Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio Monday, which the team announced Tuesday afternoon. It’s nothing more than speculation to this point, though multiple signs indicate Janikowki may be gone for the 2015 season.

Oakland would save $2.5 million this season against the cap, and $10 million over the duration of Janikowski’s current deal, per data from Over The Cap.

Tavecchio is a guy the Raiders seem to like, having spent time with the team during the preseason last year, but wasn’t included in the final roster.

It’s not unusual to sign an extra kicker for training camp, though the contracts are usually different. Futures deals, ones that are for minimal money, are the most common for players expected to only be around for training camp.

Other camp bodies can be signed later, though it’s often after the draft.

Tavecchio could be on another stint of being a camp leg, no doubt, but it’s odd for the 24-year-old to have been signed before free agency, and not to a futures deal.

The clock starts ticking for “Jano Watch,” since the team would likely cut him before the legal tampering period begins on March 7, should that be in the 36-year-old Janikowski’s future.

Jason Leskiw is SFBay’s Oakland Raiders beat writer and member of the Professional Football Writers of America. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the Oakland Raiders.