The Seattle Seahawks locked down one of the key pieces of their team for the long-term, signing wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a contract extension on Wednesday.
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The reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year and NFL receiving yards leader’s extension is reportedly worth $168.8 million deal with $120 million guaranteed over four years, making him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. It will keep him in Seattle through the 2031 season.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider discussed Smith-Njigba’s extension when he joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob for The John Schneider Show on Wednesday. He said the standout pass-catcher’s high character was key in giving him a lucrative, long-term deal.
Schneider recalled that when Smith-Njigba came out of Ohio State in 2023, he was “really, really buttoned up and (came from a) huge program, so everybody felt very comfortable with who he was as a person, and how he was raised and the people he was exposed to (like his) high school head coach, college head coach (and) his position coaches.”
Smith-Njigba has continued to show that high character as a Seahawk, which is especially notable at a position where there have been many stars known for making headlines for the wrong reasons.
“Obviously he’s a phenomenal football player, but when you’re going to ownership and you’re asking for that type of investment, you have to be really sure we know exactly who the person is,” Schneider said. “… He’s just a special, special guy, and we were super blessed he was still there at (pick No. 20 in the 2023 NFL Draft).”
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Bringing high-character players into the facility is something the organization has emphasized.
“It’s something that we’ve just evolved over the years that we’ve all been together here in the football operations, where our scouts do such a good job of figuring out who the person is, and then figuring out the questions that we need to get answered that we might be somewhat uncomfortable with right after the season (and) all the way through the All-Star period, combine (and) spring workouts,” Schneider said.
A quick deal
Smith-Njigba signed his contract extension less than a week after the Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract for the 2027 season. The Seahawks have another young star in line for an extension in cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who Seattle selected 15 spots ahead of Smith-Njigba in the 2023 draft. Seattle also exercised Witherspoon’s fifth-year option last Friday.
Schneider said the length of negotiations can vary based on the player and agent. In Smith-Njigba’s case, there was already a strong relationship between the Seahawks’ front office and his agent, Joel Segal.
“Personally, I’ve known him for, shoot, like 20-some years now, so there’s a natural relationship there,” Schneider said. “And then (vice present of football administration) Joey Laine has a good relationship with him as well, so they were able to just kind of knock it out.”
The John Schneider Show airs on Wyman and Bob every Thursday at 4 p.m. leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft (with the exception of this week’s show, which was moved to Wednesday due to Mariners opening day).
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