Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
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(Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
On March 23,ESPN reported, citing sources, that Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Seahawks reached an agreement on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.
According to the report, the deal averages $42.15 million per year and includes over $120 million in guaranteed money, both records for a wide receiver. Under the new deal, the two-time Pro Bowler is now with Seattle through the 2031 season.
The Seahawks also picked up Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option for 2027, a move valued at about $23.9 million. With the star under contract for the foreseeable future, FS1’s Colin Cowherd explained why Seattle didn’t hesitate to commit to their star wideout in the long term.
“So why did [the Seahawks] pay him early, and why did they let four guys go?”Cowherd said on the March 23 edition of “The Herd.” “Well, let’s just concentrate on JSN, because a lot of young players are productive, but teams don’t sign them a year early. Why did they do it with JSN? No drama, no big ego.
“He is what every CEO is seeking; he is what every GM is seeking. He gets along with teammates. Quarterbacks, coaches, coordinators, he never steps in it. So many young athletes get terrible advice. JSN, huge talent, no drama.”
JSN Warrants His Historic Contract Extension From Seattle
Since being drafted by Seattle in 2023, Smith-Njigba has had 282 catches for 3,551 yards and has scored 20 touchdowns in 51 games for the Seahawks in his career,per StatMuse.
Smith-Njigba’s new contract sets a record for wide receivers, surpassing Ja’Marr Chase’s deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, which averaged $40.25 million per year.
Following Chase, the top-paid receivers by average annual value are Justin Jefferson at $35 million, CeeDee Lamb at $34 million, DK Metcalf at $33 million, and Garrett Wilson at $32.5 million.
The 24-year-old had a breakout season in 2025, setting career highs with 119 receptions, 1,793 receiving yards, and 10 touchdown catches, which earned him first-team All-Pro honors in 2025.Moreover, he carried that form into the postseason, totaling 17 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
Seahawks Locked Up Another Wideout This Offseason
The Smith-Njigba contract extension isn’t the only piece of wide receiver news that the Seahawks have had this offseason. On March 9,ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Seahawks and Rashid Shaheed agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal with $34.7 million guaranteed.
Former Seahawks cornerbackRichard Sherman was surprised the team was able to keep Shaheed, given that he expected the wideout to get a better deal since he was allowed to test the open market as a free agent.
“I love this move,“Sherman said in a March 13 video from “The Richard Sherman Podcast.““I wasn’t sure this move would happen because of the guys that they have on the horizon to pay [and]I thought Shaheed’s market would be right where they paid him, about $17 million a year, but I wasn’t sure the Seahawks would be willing to make that move with everything they already have invested in that offense. They throw the money where the money is.”