This season marked the arrival of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, not just as a playmaker, but as the focal point of the Seattle Seahawks’ offense. After parting ways with D.K. Metcalf in the offseason and acquiring Sam Darnold, the Seahawks were all-in on Smith-Njigba being the No. 1 wide receiver and he did not disappoint. In 17 games this season, the third-year receiver in the NFL racked up these stats, 119 catches for 1,793 yards and scored 10 touchdowns, per NFL.com.
In the 2025 playoffs, his production continued to increase. In just two games, Seattle’s young star recorded 13 catches for 172 yards and found the end zone twice. This is all enroute to leading his team to a Super Bowl berth.
Other players around the league have noticed his growth and development as well. Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro Defensive End Maxx Crosby had this to say about Smith-Njigba.
“I feel that JSN is unreal,” Crosby said on The Rush Podcast. “He’s had a crazy year, bro. He’s been going nuclear, and clearly they knew in that front office how good he was by letting DK go and Tyler Lockett go, and just seeing him explode into being that number one receiver that clearly they saw him being. You got to give them a lot of credit, too.”
Smith-Njigba was drafted 20th overall in the 2023 NFL draft and has quickly made his presence felt. The two-time Pro-Bowler wants to bring a championship home to Seattle and has voiced this goal throughout the season. Coming out of Ohio State University, a program that continues to produce stars at the wide receiver position, Smith-Njigba has outplayed more widely recognized names such as Marvin Harrison Jr, Emeka Egbuka, and Chris Olave, further solidifying his impact at the next level.
Veteran starting quarterback Sam Darnold raves about his star receiver, pointing out his potential to become one of the greatest to ever play the position.
“He’s someone that is very quarterback-friendly. He allows, you know, with his body language and the way that he runs routes, he’s very friendly to throw to. It doesn’t make it easier to cover him, if that makes sense. It’s easy for me to feel kinda what he’s thinking and what he’s doing on the field, and to read his body language,” Darnold said this during his interview with Dan Patrick.
“He’s truly a special talent…whether he’s gonna come out of a route at full speed or if he’s gonna come out of a route and maybe wrap the corner and show me his numbers and maybe slow down a little bit,” Darnold continued. “But like I said, that doesn’t make it any easier for the defense. He makes everything look the same. With all the different routes and stems that come off those routes.”
After leading the NFL in receiving yards, Smith-Njigba enters Super Bowl LX determined to continue his breakout season. The Seahawks will face the New England Patriots, a franchise comfortable on the sport’s biggest stage and armed with playmakers on both offense and defense. For Smith-Njigba, the defining test may be his matchup with All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
With history on the line, Smith-Njigba’s rise meets its toughest test on football’s biggest stage, a duel that could define both his season and his legacy.