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Aside from signing a record contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks in March, a lot has gone right for Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2026.
A month before Smith-Njigba signed a four-year, $168.8 million contract with $120 million guaranteed, making the 24-year-old the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, he was a key piece on the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning team.
Shortly before Super Bowl 60, Smith-Njigba was named the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year after setting team records for receiving yards (1,793) and receptions (119) in a season. After the Seahawks’ first day of minicamp practices on Tuesday, Smith-Njigba said he considers both the personal and team-wide praise he has benefited from a “blessing.”
“This year has been fantastic,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s brought me a lot of wonderful things, things to learn and overcome, trophies, parades and things like that. So it’s been a blessing. It’s been an incredible year.”
“And we’re six months into the year and I’m looking forward to the rest.”
There’s plenty of time left until the Seahawks open the season with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots on Sept. 9 in Seattle, giving Smith-Njigba the opportunity to return to Texas to coach this offseason. But when Smith-Njigba returns to Seattle later this summer, he hopes to pick up where he and the Seahawks left off.
Smith-Njigba, quarterback Sam Darnold and the rest of Seattle’s offense are in the early stages of learning the system that first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is instituting. The offensive scheme is expected to be similar to that of former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is now the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
After a handful of meetings and practices with Fleury, Smith-Njigba found him to be a pretty easy-going coach.
“All the guys, we’re excited to come back and learn together and be together and figure this out,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s been amazing.”
On a personal level, the fourth-year receiver believes he can improve Fleury’s offense in his second straight season alongside Darnold and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed. The 6-foot, 202-pound Smith-Njigba said he believes he can get bigger, faster and stronger heading into the 2026 season.
He has plenty of disposable income to work with moving forward in those areas, but Smith-Njigba has yet to make drastic changes on a personal level since signing his extension.
Even when he finds himself on lists like Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026,” the calm and collected Smith-Njigba has tried to keep a low profile. While the accomplishments and milestones continue to pile up, Smith-Njigba is committed to staying hungry on the field and taking it easy off of it.
“I’m a simple man, that’s what I’m really trying to say,” Smith-Njigba said. “I love playing ball, I love being here, I love going home and relaxing.”
Associated Press information.
