Grading the contract: Did the Seahawks do the right thing by making Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid WR in the NFL
A look at how the Seahawks grade out after handing superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba a record-breaking four-year $168.6 million contract extension.
The Seattle Seahawks are on the NFL throne right now after winning Super Bowl LX, and now they’ve made sure one of their best players is around for the long haul by handing out a record-breaking contract extension.
Reports are out that Seattle is making superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with a four-year, $168.6 million extension. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year deservingly cashed in after a career season, but did the Seahawks do the right thing by paying him so much money?
Grading the Seahawks extension with Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Grade: A
A non-quarterback getting north of $40 million a year, even in today’s NFL, is rare. Smith-Njigba is one of six non-quarterbacks to cross that threshold, and joins Ja’Marr Chase as the only two wide receivers in that club. So to say this is a massive contract extension for the 24-year-old would be an understatement.
That is the price of doing business with one of the best players at a premium position, wide receiver, though in today’s NFL landscape. If Seattle wasn’t willing to pay this price tag, I promise you there would have been a long line of teams willing to foot that bill to land Smith-Njigba’s services. The Seahawks had no interest in letting anyone else get their hands on him, though, and pay it themselves and do it earlier than some may have imagined.
The only thing keeping this from being an A+ is that Smith-Njigba has only played three seasons in the NFL and just one year as the team’s top wide receiver. Now it was an incredible season with Smith-Njigba leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions, and 10 touchdowns.
What does this mean for the Seahawks going forward?
This is a big deal for the Seahawks, but it’s also just one box on a list of young players they are looking to extend. With Smith-Njigba now taken care of, reports have already come out that the team’s focus now moves to getting an extension done with star corner Devon Witherspoon.
The common thought process is that the reigning Super Bowl champions are defending their title, and everyone else is chasing them. I think something important to note about how the Seahawks operate, though, is that they never leave the chasing mentality. They are riding high right now, soaking in the Super Bowl champion UV rays into this summer. But once the 2026 season begins, it’s an entirely new year, and they will attack the season like the other 31 teams that have their eyes on winning Super Bowl LXI.
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