Seahawks Reward Jaxon Smith-Njigba With Record-Breaking Extension

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs the ball during the third quarter against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Striking a deal early in free agency with a contract extension being a top priority for the organization, the Seattle Seahawks have locked up one of their biggest foundational pieces for the next half decade.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Seahawks and superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have agreed to terms on a four-year, $168.6 million mega deal worth a record-setting $42.15 million per year. Under the terms of the contract, he will also receive more than $120 million in guarantees, the most ever for a wideout in NFL history.

Enjoying a historic breakout in his third season with the Seahawks and more than earning his market-setting contract, the 24-year-old Smith-Njigba emerged as one of the league’s best weapons for the eventual Super Bowl champions, snagging 119 receptions for an NFL-best 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns from quarterback Sam Darnold. Per TruMedia, he finished with 42 explosive receptions, seven more than any other receiver in the league, while posting a remarkable 35.3% explosive reception rate on a whopping 163 targets.

Historically speaking, Smith-Njigba turned in one of the finest seasons by a receiver in NFL history. He joined Calvin Johnson and Tyreek Hill as the only three players to reach the 1,700-yard mark while averaging more than 15 yards per reception. In an even more exclusive group, he became only the second player ever to hit the 1,700-yard threshold on less than 120 receptions, and he recorded at least 90 receiving yards in 13 regular season games, the second-most in a single season ever.

Illustrating his immense value for the Seahawks on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Smith-Njigba now ranks third all time in a single season for percentage of team’s receptions (36.6%), fourth in percentage of team’s receiving yards (44.1%), and third for team’s percentage of first down catches (44.1%). He also ranks fourth all time in a season among qualified receivers with a 35.8% share of Seattle’s overall targets, showing his indispensability leading Darnold’s arsenal on the outside.

What truly made Smith-Njigba’s 2025 season all the more remarkable was how much he dominated opponents as a downfield threat. No longer to be wrongly misconstrued as a slot receiver who primarily wins in the short/intermediate game, he hauled in the third-most receptions on passes traveling 10+ yards through the air (60) in a season and posted the third-most receiving yards (1,353) on such throws, trailing only Deandre Hopkins and Johnson all-time. Incredibly, he posted a 69% catch rate on 87 such targets, more than 15% better than either Hopkins or Johnson accomplished.

Employing the same tactics they did with left tackle Charles Cross last season, the Seahawks picked up Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option on March 20, which OverTheCap.com projected at $23.852 million for 2027 based on his one Pro Bowl selection. Exercising that fifth-year option will now ensure that his new extension doesn’t actually start until 2028, locking up the star in the Pacific Northwest through 2031. This also provides an additional year to spread out his signing bonus for cap purposes.

According to Spotrac, Smith-Njigba’s contract includes more than $69 million guaranteed at signing, $30 million in guarantees in February 2027, and $36.5 million in cash for 2026. With the signing bonus spread out over the final two years of his rookie deal plus the four years of his extension, his cap hit will increase by $5 million next year but drop $8 million in 2027.

Overall, Smith-Njigba’s extension added to his two remaining years under contract from his rookie deal in Seattle results in a six-year, $195.1 million deal worth $32.5 million per year.

By being proactive in getting a deal done now, the Seahawks ultimately may have saved themselves a bit of change in the long run as well. The Rams will need to pay their own superstar in Puka Nacua, who like Smith-Njigba became eligible for an extension at the start of the new league year, and the Cowboys also have plans for a long-term deal with George Pickens. Both of those players could quickly reset the market again, suddenly making Smith-Njigba’s contract look like a relative bargain that will only become more valuable over time.

With Smith-Njigba now locked up for the foreseeable future, Seattle will shift attention to negotiations with cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who also had his fifth-year option picked up on March 20. The team hopes to secure the former top-five pick with a massive extension of his own, which could make him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, before the start of the 2026 season.