A few weeks ago, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was stirring up all sorts of conversations about his status as an elite NFL receiver. If you were on the side of the argument stating that it's too soon to inject him into the stratosphere of Ja'Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson, that would have been entirely fair.
If you were on the other side arguing Smith-Njigba's case, he's already elite; perhaps you were the ones who jumped ahead of everyone else and are currently being proven right. Smith-Njigba has now surely done enough to show he's worthy to be counted among the upper-class, tier-one, elite wideouts, and the arguments against him appear to be losing ground.
After the Seahawks' Week 9 destruction of the Washington Commanders, while he didn't haul in a touchdown, Smith-Njigba did surpass 100 yards receiving for the sixth time this season, further distancing himself ahead of the aforementioned Chase, Jefferson, and several other elite wideouts across the NFL landscape.
With 948 yards accounted for through Week 9, Smith-Njigba is sprinting on a record-setting pace.
Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads all NFL wideouts and is chasing another legendary one
In Los Angeles, the Rams kept pace with the Seahawks in their division thanks to Matt Stafford's four-touchdown performance, which he can thank Puka Nacua for, who raked up 95 of his 281 passing yards. Stafford unquestionably has his best wide receiver room since the old Detroit Lions' days, when Megatron himself, Calvin Johnson, wreaked havoc all over the field catching balls from Stafford.
It is Johnson whom Smith-Njigba is now chasing. After Sunday's 129-yard outing, he's only 62 yards away from reaching the 1,000 mark. His 938 yards through eight games rank the 13th best in NFL history for a receiver.
That milestone alone is remarkable for someone who's in his first season as a No. 1 receiver. On top of that, Smith-Njigba is on pace to reach one of the NFL's greatest individual statistical records held by Johnson himself.
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The single-season receiver record held by Johnson is 1,964 yards, which he achieved in 2012. Johnson caught 122 passes from Stafford that year, including five touchdowns (one of the lowest touchdown seasons of his career). If we're comparing Johnson's 2012 season to Smith-Njigba's 2025 season, the touchdown numbers aren't too dissimilar.
Halfway through the season, Smith-Njigba has only four touchdowns. Obviously, there is still half a season to go, but it's interesting that his touchdown catches are as low as they are, given his receiving yards are so high and that Sam Darnold has thrown for 16 touchdowns.
Touchdowns aside, Smith-Njigba is nevertheless on pace to equal and surpass Johnson's record, and if he does so, he would do what Chase, Jefferson, or even current Seahawks teammate Cooper Kupp haven't been able to do. Kupp, of course, won the wide receiver triple crown in 2021 and hit the 1,947 yards mark.
As for Chase and Jefferson — widely considered 1A and 1B of the best wideouts in the NFL today — have only reached as high as 1,708 (Chase) and 1,809 (Jefferson) yards in their careers. Although considering the elite talent and insane gifting they both possess, there would be no surprise if either, or both, reached the 2,000 mark at some point in their careers, never mind passing Johnson's record.
For now, however, in this current NFL season, it appears the receiving record is Smith-Njigba's to chase down and seize. To catch Johnson, not only does Smith-Njigba need to continue playing at an elite level, but Darnold must continue playing at the level he is playing at as well. Darnold's play is non-negotiable in Smith-Njigba's potential record-breaking season.
In the NFL, though, it is one game at a time — one week at a time. Seattle passed Week 9's test, as did Smith-Njigba. Can he keep up this pace? Another 100-plus yards against the Arizona Cardinals next week will only strengthen it.