The Seattle Seahawks are making Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL on an annual basis after agreeing to a four-year, $168.6 million deal, with $120 million guaranteed, league sources tell The Athletic on Monday.
When the deal becomes official, the Seahawks will have secured a cornerstone of their Super Bowl 60-winning team. Smith-Njigba, a 2025 first-team All-Pro and NFL Offensive Player of the Year, helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win after catching for a league-high 1,793 yards on 119 receptions to go along with 10 touchdowns. He broke out in 2024 with 100 receptions for 1,130 yards before becoming Seattle’s WR1 after DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason.
The Seahawks selected Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick in 2023, believing he was the best wideout in the draft class. They were right. They honored Metcalf’s trade request last spring, believing their offense would still function at a high level with Smith-Njigba as the lead guy. They were right. They’re paying Smith-Njigba like the best receiver in football, believing that he’ll be well worth the richest contract of general manager John Schneider’s tenure. They believe his work ethic and leadership will be added bonuses on top of the elite on-field production. Smith-Njigba just turned 24; they believe his best football is ahead of him. They’ve been right this whole time. No reason to believe they’ll be wrong now.
Smith-Njigba will move ahead of the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase with the highest annual salary among receivers, according to Over The Cap. Chase’s AAV is $40.25 million, and Smith-Njigba’s $42.15 million AAV will surpass that number.
The Seahawks picked up the two-time Pro Bowler’s fifth-year option along with cornerback Devon Witherspoon last week, but now are locking Smith-Njigba down long term heading into his fourth season. Witherspoon was the fifth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the same draft in which Smith-Njigba was selected. Only first-round picks have fifth-year options in their deals. Witherspoon, a three-time Pro Bowler, is now on the books for a fully guaranteed projected salary of $21.1 million in 2027 but could also potentially get an extension.
The Seahawks have lost a handful of key players in free agency, including Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), linebacker Boye Mafe (Bengals), safety Coby Bryant (Bears) and cornerback Riq Woolen (Eagles). However, they secured Smith-Njigba’s fellow receiver, Rashid Shaheed, with a new deal, and by locking up Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon, they are maintaining significant pieces of the Super Bowl team.