Ever since Jankos’ team was eliminated from the 2022 World Championship, the former G2 Esports jungler has been relatively candid about his ongoing issues finding a new League of Legends team for 2023.
Two weeks ago, the 27-year-old announced he’d be heading into the offseason as a free agent for the first time in five years. The veteran recently voiced his woes around his current buyout from G2, and how it has quickly become the main reason for his contract troubles due to its steep price.
Yesterday, he even revealed that up to five European teams have pulled out of contract negotiations due to the high buyout price, saying his agent is having a hard time finding any teams willing to take on such a huge price point. There are, however, one or two additional organizations he says he’s in talks with, but “they are still not very happy with the buyout, so we’ll see.”
For any North American League fans hoping to see Jankos in the LCS, bad news: the experienced star said he and his agent haven’t been looking at teams in the region. Unfortunately for LEC fans, if he isn’t able to find a team that can afford his buyout, he might be taking a step back from pro play or taking his talents to a European Regional League.
This is similar to G2’s situation with former LEC superstar AD carry Rekkles, who ended up playing in the LFL with Karmine Corp because there weren’t any teams who could afford the marksman’s exorbitant 1.5-million-euro buyout price. It’s been almost a year since Rekkles left the LEC, and the talented ADC is now searching for a roster once again.
Jankos, on the other hand, will need to find more options quickly, if he doesn’t want to be left off of an LEC squad before the next year begins. The global League free agency period is set to begin on Monday, Nov. 21.
