Two leagues are potentially headed for labor showdowns: the NFL and NBA. Just as it's tough to feel sympathy for the NBA -- which claims it will lose $400 million a year -- when you look at salaries like these doled out by owners and GMs, it's also staggering to think of an NFL team being willing to shell out a 4-year, $16 million contract, including $9 million guaranteed ... for a kicker. Yes, we know it's the Raiders. But still, per ESPN.com:
The Oakland Raiders and Sebastian Janikowski reached agreement Tuesday morning on the richest kicking contract in NFL history, according to league sources.
Janikowski will sign a four-year, $16 million contract that includes $9 million in guaranteed money, sources said. It also removes arguably the top kicker from the free-agent market. Other notable free-agent kickers are expected to include Cincinnati's Shayne Graham and the New York Jets' Jay Feely.
Keep in mind: Ryan Longwell's 5-year deal, signed in 2006, was worth half of that annually.
