During the fifth round of Saturday’s NFL Draft, Jadon received a call from his (Jadon and Jaxon both share the same agent) agent Ron Slavin. Slavin explained a solid undrafted free agent deal would be on the table with the Houston Texans immediately following the conclusion of the draft. If any team were to reach out to Jadon while the live draft was unfolding, Jadon was told to tell teams he would be signing with Houston, and that if they wanted him, they would have to draft him.
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Slavin fielded calls from 17 other NFL teams inquiring about Jadon, no offer was better than Houston’s, and so it was decided — The 6’2, 213-pound All-Missouri Valley Conference wideout was heading to The Lone Star State.
As for Jaxon, unbeknownst to him, his fate began shifting in the second half of the seventh round. “Might get a wish and both end up with Texans, stay tuned,” Slavin texted Jaxon at 5:30 P.M.
Six minutes later, it became a real possibility.
Houston had planned to draft USC wide receiver Tahj Washington with the 247th pick in the seventh round. Jadon and Washington would be the Texan’s only drafted / signed rookie wide receivers.
Instead, Tahj Washington was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 241st pick.
Moments after the draft’s conclusion, Jaxon received a call from Slavin. With the crowd of some 70 friends and family now quieting to a soft hush, Jaxon motioned for his family to follow him as he walked out the back door.
As the family of nine gathered around one another, Slavin explained over speakerphone Houston had offered a deal to sign Jaxon as well. Initially exciting news, the Janke’s quickly realized what it also entailed. The two brothers would be competing against one another for a roster spot. Though hesitant, Jaxon was leaning towards Houston. With no other offers yet to come through, turning down the Texans would be a gamble. Linda Janke, mother of the twins, was ecstatic. She had wanted her boys to stay together all along.
Back outside, the situation had suddenly changed. The Seattle Seahawks had come in with a proposal. Not only was a free agent deal on the table for Jaxon, but the promise of at least a practice squad roster spot too.
The family, minus Linda, discussed the new situation. After pondering it for several minutes, Jaxon had decided on Seattle. “Once Jaxon was like okay, I think I’m going to Seattle, I will admit that I was sad, it just didn’t feel right,” Jadon said. “I will admit too, when I told everyone I was going to Seattle, it just didn’t feel right,” Jaxon added.
Before finalizing the new plans, Linda was called back outside. Arriving to the shocking announcement her two youngest children would now be heading in separate directions; the tears were instant. “She immediately started bawling because she was so happy we were going to be doing this together,” Jaxon told, “and all of the sudden that was ripped from her heart.”
Even through Linda’s river-like cheeks, the decision seemed final. “We thought Seattle was a done deal,” Father of the twins Fred Janke said.
As the twins made their way to the back door to re-enter the bar, Jaxon’s phone rang once more. In truth, the Texans organization was split on the twins. The coaches liked Jadon better, the scouts liked Jaxon better. Slavin told Jaxon Bailee Brown, an area scout for the Texans, wanted to speak with him. Brown made it clear to Jaxon they wanted him, explaining in detail the situation he would be walking into.
While things can certainly change, the Texans plan to have an open receiver spot on the active roster, and practice squad as well. (The twins will look to push for a special teams role too). Over the next several weeks and months, practice reps will be key. With the Texans not drafting or signing any other wideouts besides the two South Dakota State products, the reps should be there.
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Jadon’s signing bonus will be $20,000, with a guarantee of $90,000, totalling $110,000.
Jaxon’s signing bonus will be $10,000, with a guarantee of $90,000, totalling $100,000.
