How Jadon and Jaxon Janke both signed with the Houston Texans
“If you’re gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band.”
Jadon and Jaxon Janke were no strangers to the catchy tune.
Sung by country music band Alabama, ‘If You’re Gonna Play in Texas’ has blared over the loud speakers of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium the past two Decembers as the Jackrabbits put the finishing touches on their semifinal victories, earning trips to the FCS National Championship in Frisco, Texas.
And on Saturday night, they danced and clapped to it one more time as the fiddle’s vibrant melody drifted through the walls of Sporty’s Bar and Grill in Madison, South Dakota after announcing to their friends and family they would both be signing as free agents with the Houston Texans.
“It doesn’t really feel real to me right now,” Jadon said moments after finalizing the decision. “It’s God’s plan. He wanted us to stay together and He knew we could make an impact together like we’ve been doing our whole lives,” Jaxon added.
God knew, but that’s about it.
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.
The final round came to a close, no teams had selected Jadon, and that’s when the chaos began for Slavin.
“The undrafted free agent process is a broken system, it’s been broken forever,” Slavin started. “Agents and players sit through the draft for three days, we get to the end of the draft on Saturday and it’s ‘hey, we need a decision in the next five minutes or we’re going to move on to another player.’ So, you’re trying to make decisions, you’re looking at depth charts, trying to put guys into positions to make a roster, it just gets real hectic dealing with families, and moms and dads and everything else.”
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.
Strolling back inside to a crowd filled with anxious anticipation, Linda entered with a huge smile as she sat down for a chat and drink with relatives. “It’s just really good news, that’s all I can say right now,” Linda joyfully told her surrounding family members.
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.
The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears will kick off the NFL Preseason in Canton, Ohio as part of the annual Hall of Fame Game.
Why is this so significant?
This gives the Texans four preseason games, while 30 of the other 32 teams will only have three.
“The key when you’re an undrafted free agent is to get somewhere where you’re going to get as many reps and film as possible. Because if you don’t end up making the team that brought you in, at least other teams are seeing you in an NFL setting playing against other NFL players,” Slavin explained. “Especially guys like them who are coming from South Dakota State. Small school guys are always going to get questions about the talent they played against. Well, now they’re going to be playing against NFL guys, and tape against those guys will go a lot farther with teams.”
With all that in mind, Jaxon was back in on Houston, choosing to play alongside his brother just like they’ve done on every single organized athletic team they’ve ever been a part of, dating back to age five.
“We never thought they would go to the same team, but they’ve always been better together,” Fred Janke said. “As a parent you want to see them stay together, because if they go to separate cities you’re like okay, are they going to make it? Are they going to say it’s not worth it? But if they’re together, they’ve always been able to push each other, and that’s where they’ve excelled.”
“He’s the foundation of our family, the rock that holds us all together, and he couldn’t even pray for us at the end because he was so emotional,” Jadon said of his father Fred. “The man who prays at every event, every holiday, before every meal, he was so choked up that he couldn’t do it.”
The trickle down effect of Jaxon’s last moment decision is fascinating. With the Seahawks missing on the FCS All-American wide receiver, they instead signed a different one. Idaho’s Hayden Hatten, who played the past two seasons for Jason Eck, who was once the offensive coordinator at SDSU from 2019–2021 (a span in which Jaxon caught 15 touchdown passes), signed with Seattle.
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.
The Houston Texans will hold OTA Offseason Workouts May 20–21, May 23, May 29–31, June 3–4, June 6, and mandatory minicamp June 11–13.
“I have prayed all along that they go together. My prayers have truly been answered, many times over,” Linda exclaimed. “God is good, we are so blessed.”
