The Seahawks heavily featured Jaxon Smith-Njigba in their passing game last year, and that may ultimately end up costing them a few million. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension, and he’ll be looking for a top-of-the-market deal.
"I know my time is coming, and when we get it done, it's going to be a great deal,” he said recently in an interview with WFAA in his hometown of Dallas. “God's timing is perfect timing, so whenever that may come, we'll be ready for it. I believe I deserve to be the highest paid in my position. Just what I give to the game and the community, I give it my all, and I think that's worth a lot more."
Nothing he said is controversial or unreasonable. He’s only 24 years old and put up phenomenal numbers last year, catching 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 TDs. Those numbers look even more impressive when factoring in the Seahawks don’t heavily emphasize the pass.
JSN last year accounted for over 44 percent of his team’s receiving yards last year – the most by anyone since Brandon Marshall in 2012. In the last 10 years, only 20 wide receivers have finished with at least 35 percent of their team’s yards.
| 35 PERCENT OF TEAM'S RECEIVING YARDS (last 10 yrs) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | Yards | Team | Pct |
| 2025 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 119 | 1,793 | 4,063 | 44.1 |
| 2023 | DJ Moore, Chi. | 96 | 1,364 | 3,096 | 44.1 |
| 2023 | Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 119 | 1,799 | 4,514 | 39.9 |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 145 | 1,947 | 4,893 | 39.8 |
| 2023 | CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 135 | 1,749 | 4,397 | 39.8 |
| 2019 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 149 | 1,725 | 4,431 | 38.9 |
| 2023 | A.J. Brown, Phi. | 106 | 1,456 | 3,834 | 38.0 |
| 2017 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 96 | 1,378 | 3,644 | 37.8 |
| 2018 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 115 | 1,572 | 4,165 | 37.7 |
| 2022 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 128 | 1,809 | 4,818 | 37.5 |
| 2023 | Adam Thielen, Car. | 103 | 1,014 | 2,741 | 37.0 |
| 2025 | • Zay Flowers, Balt. | 86 | 1,211 | 3,278 | 36.9 |
| 2023 | Puka Nacua, LAR | 105 | 1,486 | 4,063 | 36.6 |
| 2025 | • Puka Nacua, LAR | 129 | 1,715 | 4,707 | 36.4 |
| 2021 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 108 | 1,616 | 4,450 | 36.3 |
| 2022 | Davante Adams, L.V. | 100 | 1,516 | 4,182 | 36.3 |
| 2023 | George Pickens, Pitt. | 63 | 1,140 | 3,163 | 36.0 |
| 2022 | Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 119 | 1,710 | 4,765 | 35.9 |
| 2023 | Garrett Wilson, NYJ | 95 | 1,042 | 2,919 | 35.7 |
| 2024 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 103 | 1,533 | 4,379 | 35.0 |
Smith-Njigba thus far has been a bargain. He’s working on a four-year rookie contract that’s worth $14.4 million. Now it’s time for him to get paid. And that’s going to be a big number.
The Steelers last year gave DK Metcalf a contract averaging $33 million. Garrett Wilson is at $32.5 million, Brandon Aiyuk is at $30 million, and Terry McLaurin is at $29 million. JSN is worth a lot more than all of those guys.
Ja’Marr Chase is currently the highest-paid wide receiver, with a deal averaging $40.3 million. It can be debated whether Smith-Njigba is better, worse or about the same as Chase. But that Chase contract was signed a year ago. Since that time, the salary cap has increased by 9 percent, up from $279.2 million to an expected $303.5 million.
Justin Jefferson signed a market-setting contract averaging $35 million back in 2024, but the salary cap at that time was only $255.4 million – about $48 less than it is now. It can be argued whether JSN is better than Jefferson, but the deal will have to come in well above that level.
| RECEIVERS MAKING $25 MILLION | |
|---|---|
| Player | Average |
| Ja'Marr Chase | $40,250,000 |
| Justin Jefferson | $35,000,000 |
| CeeDee Lamb | $34,000,000 |
| DK Metcalf | $32,999,882 |
| Garrett Wilson | $32,500,000 |
| A.J. Brown | $32,000,000 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | $30,002,500 |
| Brandon Aiyuk | $30,000,000 |
| Terry McLaurin | $29,000,000 |
| Tee Higgins | $28,750,000 |
| Jaylen Waddle | $28,250,000 |
| DJ Moore | $27,500,000 |
| Jameson Williams | $26,666,667 |
| DeVonta Smith | $25,000,000 |
The Seahawks have another premium player who just completed his third season. Devon Witherspoon has been named to three Pro Bowls and came up big in the just-completed Super Bowl. The Seahawks are currently for sale, and the new owner will need to be prepared to spend.
—Ian Allan
