The Seattle Seahawks will enter the season with a significant amount of turnover in their offensive personnel. They have a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, and both of their cornerstone wide receivers, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, have departed. However, Seahawks general manager John Schneider is confident.
Schneider’s big move in the offseason to bolster theSeahawks’ receiving room was signing former All-Pro and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp to a three-year, $45 million deal. Kupp willbe paired with 2024 Pro Bowler Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who now finds himself in a position to be the number one receiver in Seattle.
Another ofSchneider’s free agent acquisitions at wide receiver was veteran and Super Bowl Champion Marquez Valdes-Scantling as a deep threat. However, Valdes-Scantlingwas released on Tuesday due to the emergence of the younger receivers on the roster.
Trusting the Young Receivers
Seahawks general manager John Schneider is putting trust in young receivers. Cooper Kupp, in his ninth year and at 32 years old, is by far the most experienced receiver on the team. Every other receiver is 27 or younger, but Schneider is comfortable with this.
John Boyle ofSeahawks.com, in his August 27 article on JohnSchneider’s 53-man roster press conference, wrote aboutSchneider’s optimism concerning the receivers.
“The receiving corps isreally strong,”Schneider said. “We really like it, especially the physicality of it.There’s a really nice combination of receivers.There’s a really cool uniqueness to all of them, andthere’s a cool physicality with Bobo, Dareke, and Cody.That’s really important, in this scheme you have to be able to block, so we like the group.”
Schneider also felt the drafting of players like rookie Tory Horton made the team more comfortable in moving on from Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
“MVS, he came in and did a nice job and competed, those guys were just ahead of him,”Schneider said. “That’s the way it goes, unfortunately, you have to get down to it at a certain time. It was a very good signing for us at the time. We added Tory in the draft, a guy that can kind of take the top off (a defense), andthat’s MVS’s specialty, so very similar in that regard.”
Schneider is confident in theSeahawks’ receivers, as is head coach Mike Macdonald.
Mike Macdonald Believes in JSN
Jaxon Smith-Njigba suddenly finds himself at the top of the Seahawks depth chart following his career year in 2024 and the departures of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. This offseason, Smith-Njigba has stepped up in every aspect of his game, and his head coach, Mike Macdonald, has noticed.
Ari Horton ofSeahawks.com, in her August 2 article, wrote about Smith-Njigba taking charge of thewide receivers room in year three.
“I think he led the charge on the kind of player that he wants to be,”Macdonald said. “He’s kind of set his own standard and his goals that he wants to be an elite receiver in this game in our league, and I thinkhe’s right there. Can run all the cuts, run on the whole route tree, take the top off.”
Macdonald also praised how Smith-Njigba has been getting the details down of playing the wide receiver position and learning from Cooper Kupp.
“He’s great after the catch.He’s great at the run game.He’s playing really decisive right now,”Macdonald said. “He’s moving around andhe’s playing spots. Him and Coop [Kupp] have a great relationship.Let’s keep it rolling,We’re going to need him andwe’re going to feature him and teams know that andhe’s doing a great job.”
Smith-Njigba taking the next leap in his career is a significant factor in why the Seahawks franchise believe in their receivers going into the 2025 season.