He just won the Super Bowl – now this Seahawk wants to reset the NFL market
Fresh off a championship season, Seattle’s star receiver is ready to cash in – but insists there’s no rush to seal a record deal.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the wide receiver who lifted the Super Bowl LX trophy with the Seattle Seahawks, is aiming to become the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL after playing a pivotal role in securing the Vince Lombardi Trophy and delivering the finest season of his career.
“I think I deserve to be the highest-paid at my position,” he said in an interview with Jonah Jovad of WFAA. “What I give to the game and to the community, I give everything. I believe that’s worth much more. I’d play this sport for free; I love it, but that’s not necessary. I’m learning to be a good businessman, and at the end of the day, we need that check.”
Smith-Njigba posted 10 touchdowns and 1,793 receiving yards – the highest total in the league last season – on 119 receptions, numbers that earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors.
The receiver will be eligible to sign a contract extension in a couple of weeks, though he insists there is no urgency to lock in a new deal. “Honestly, I don’t feel much pressure right now to get it done,” he added. “I know my time is coming, and when it happens, it’s going to be a big contract.”
It is worth noting that Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals signed a four-year extension worth $161 million – an average of $40.25 million per year – making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. Next on the list is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, who in June 2024 agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract, averaging $35 million annually.
For now, the Seahawks have $63.4 million in cap space, following the departure in free agency of players such as Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and linebacker Boye Mafe.
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