Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba during an NFL game.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s next contract is starting to look like one of the Seahawks’ biggest upcoming decisions, and Spotrac’s latest projection shows why. The contract site pegs Smith-Njigba’s market value at three years and roughly $113.2 million, or about $37.7 million per year, a massive jump from the rookie deal that currently averages about $3.6 million annually.
That does not mean a new deal is imminent this week, but it does sharpen the conversation around what a Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract extension could eventually cost Seattle. It also matters right now because the Seahawks have already exercised Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option for 2027, keeping him under team control longer while also signaling that he remains a core piece of the franchise’s future.
Key Points
Spotrac projects Smith-Njigba at roughly 3 years, $113.2 million
His current rookie contract averages about $3.6 million per season
Seattle has already exercised his 2027 fifth-year option
Any extension discussion now starts with Smith-Njigba looking more like a premium WR1 than a complementary piece
Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract projection shows how much his value has changed
The most striking part of the Spotrac number is not just the total; it is what it says about how Smith-Njigba is viewed league-wide. He entered the NFL on a standard first-round rookie contract worth $14.4 million over four years. Now, after his rapid rise in Seattle’s offense, Spotrac’s model values him as one of the highest-end receivers in football.
That gives the Seahawks two practical paths. They can wait and let the market keep climbing, or they can try to get ahead of it before another explosive season pushes the asking price even higher. The fifth-year option buys Seattle time, but it does not make the issue cheaper. In fact, that option is reportedly worth $23.85 million for 2027, which already gives the team a clear benchmark for extension talks.
This is where the mechanics matter. Because the option year is now locked in, Seattle does not have to rush. But if the Seahawks believe Smith-Njigba is a long-term offensive centerpiece, an early extension could create cost certainty before the receiver market moves again.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba stats explain why his contract price is climbing
Smith-Njigba’s production has followed a clear upward curve. He posted 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2023, then jumped to 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. In 2025, he took another leap with 119 catches, 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns across 17 games and 17 starts.
Those numbers are not just “very good.” They are true No. 1 receiver production. The Seahawks’ official team page notes Smith-Njigba led the team in 2024 with 100 receptions, 1,130 yards and six scores, while NFL and ESPN stat pages show he followed that with an even bigger 2025 season.
That matters in contract talks because high-volume, high-efficiency receivers get paid differently than slot specialists or WR2 types. Smith-Njigba’s case is increasingly built around feature-receiver usage, not projection alone.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba background, draft position and Seahawks role changes
The Seahawks drafted Smith-Njigba with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. At the time, he entered a receiver room where he was not immediately asked to be the unquestioned top option.
That role changed over the next two seasons. As a rookie, he was more rotational and finished with only three starts. By 2024, he had become a much bigger part of the offense with 16 starts. By 2025, he had fully transitioned into an every-week centerpiece, starting all 17 games and producing like one of the league’s elite receivers.
That progression is important because it gives Seattle a clean development timeline: first-round pedigree, gradual expansion, then full WR1-level output. It is the exact kind of arc that usually ends in a major extension, even if the final number lands below the full Spotrac projection.
The role shift is the story. Smith-Njigba went from complementary first-round rookie to featured target, and that change is what turns a routine contract discussion into a franchise-shaping one.
What happens next?
Seattle does not have to finalize a Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract extension immediately, but the price point is now part of the public conversation. The next steps are straightforward: watch whether the Seahawks discuss an extension timeline this offseason, monitor where the wide receiver market goes next, and see whether Smith-Njigba follows his breakout campaign with another year that makes Spotrac’s projection look conservative.