Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba put the Seattle Seahawks on notice with his contract demands during an interview with WFAA in his hometown of Dallas. “I’m not really too pressed right now to get it done. I know my time is coming, and when we get it done, it’s going to be a great deal,” said Smith-Njigba. … I believe I deserve to be the highest paid in my position, just what I give to the game and the community, I give it my all. And I think that’s worth a lot, lot more.”
The Seahawks plan to extend the contracts of Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon, both 2023 first-round picks, this offseason. The fifth-year options for 2027 will surely be picked up with both players by the May 1 deadline if necessary.
Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option projects to 7.919% of the 2026 salary cap. This figure should be between $23.852 million and $24.208 million with the NFL recently informing teams that the 2026 salary cap is expected to be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million.
Ja’Marr Chase is currently the NFL highest-paid wide receiver. He signed a four-year, $161 million contract extension, averaging $40.25 million per year, with the Cincinnati Bengals last March. The deal has $109.8 million in guarantees where $73.9 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The maximum value of Chase’s extension is $162 million thanks to a $250,000 annual incentive in the new contract years (2026-2029) for each Super Bowl win with 65% or more offensive playtime in the game as well as 65% or more offensive playtime during the same regular season.
Smith-Njigba may not be setting his sights high enough financially in wanting to top the wide receiver pay scale. The last two times the wide receiver market was reset, Chase and Justin Jefferson also became the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings signed Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million extension, averaging $35 million per year, in 2024. His contract has $110 million in guarantees, of which $88.743 million was fully guaranteed at signing. Both amounts are records for a wide receiver.
Micah Parsons leads non-quarterbacks with the four-year, $186 million extension, averaging $46.5 million per year, that was a part of his trade from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers at the end of August. There are $136.007 million of guarantees with a non-quarterback record $120 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is No. 2 among non-quarterbacks. He signed a four-year, $180 million extension, averaging $45 million, with a non-quarterback-record $141 million of overall guarantees in October.
A common denominator exists with Chase, Jefferson and Smith-Njigba. Each was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year while playing on their rookie contracts. Jefferson won the award in 2022 as a third-year NFL player when he had 128 receptions, 1,809 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. His catches and receiving yards were the seventh- and sixth-best single-season totals in league history at the time.
Chase won the receiving triple crown by simultaneously leading the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17) in 2024 when he received the honor. He was in his fourth NFL season.
Smith-Njigba’s 2025 performance compares favorably with Chase’s and Jefferson’s award-winning seasons. He had a true breakout season after leading the Seahawks with 100 receptions, 1,130 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 2024. Smith-Njigba earned 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors by catching 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns. He carried Seattle’s passing attack. Smith-Njigba’s 36.6% of the team’s receptions and 44.1% of the team’s receiving yards are the third and fourth marks all time in these respective categories, according to TruMedia.
Chase and Jefferson were more accomplished than Smith-Njigba before receiving market-setting extensions. Both played a fourth NFL season prior to signing big deals. Nobody has ever had a more productive start to an NFL career at wide receiver than Jefferson whether looking at his first three seasons or his first four seasons. Chase was named 2021’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first four seasons.
Chase and Jefferson became the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback by small amounts. Jefferson topped San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa’s $34 million-per-year, five-year extension by 2.94%. It was a 0.63% increase for Chase over Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett’s four-year extension, averaging $40 million per year. Getting a similar type of increase as these two would put Smith-Njigba between $46.75 million and $47.75 million per year.
It should be noted that Chase’s deal is backloaded. Chase has $44.816 million in 2029, the final year of his extension. The average after the first three new years is $38.728 million per year. Jefferson’s contract isn’t structured like this. His average after the first three new years ($35,333,333) is slightly more than the deal’s average ($35 million).
In terms of just setting the wide receiver pay scale, Jefferson moved the market by 9.38%. Smith-Njigba would be at just over $44 million per year with Jefferson’s increase. Chase’s $40.25 million per year is 15% more than Jefferson’s $35 million per year. A Chase-type increase would mean $46,287,500 per year, which would be right below Parsons.
Smith-Njigba may want to consider abandoning his quest to become the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver provided he gets an extremely player-friendly structure on a shorter term than Chase and Jefferson. A three-year extension with two years remaining on a rookie contract isn’t out of the ordinary with wide receivers taken in the first round. Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, 2021 first round picks, signed respective three-year, $75 million and $84.75 million extensions with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins in 2024.
The Seahawks also have a history of signing No. 1 wide receivers on rookie deals to three-year extensions. DK Metcalf received a three-year, $72 million extension, averaging $24 million per year, in 2022. His $30 million signing bonus was a record for wide receivers.
CeeDee Lamb is the current wide receiver record holder with the $38 million signing bonus in the four-year, $136 million extension he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. At $34 million per year, Lamb tied Bosa as the league’s second-highest-paid non-quarterback behind Jefferson.
Smith-Njigba could insist that the Seahawks follow the structural precedent set with Metcalf. Metcalf’s deal was tremendously front-loaded. He had 37.19%, 56.94% and 75% of his new money, respectively, through his contract year, first new contract year and his second new contract year. In a neutral deal which isn’t front-loaded or back-loaded, there would be 33.33% and 66.67% of the new money, respectively, after the first and second new contract years.
Given how back-loaded Chase’s contract is, Smith-Njigba’s salary benchmark would be his $38.728 million average after his third new contract year. Signing for $39 million per year would make Smith-Njigba the league’s second-highest-paid wide receiver behind Chase’s $40.25 million per year. He would rank sixth among non-quarterbacks.
The Seahawks don’t fully guarantee at signing money in the second year of high-end contracts like most other NFL teams do. This practice had been in place for at least a couple of years when quarterback Russell Wilson signed his first contract extension with the Seahawks in 2015.
There is an early guarantee vesting date in the second year. An injury guarantee becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the waiver period, which is five days after the Super Bowl, rather than the third or fifth day of the league year like with most teams.
A third-year or fourth-year guarantee doesn’t vest a year early (i.e., 2028 injury guarantee is fully guaranteed in 2027) with Seahawks contracts either. It’s also the fifth day of the waiver period in that particular year for the conversion to fully guaranteed.
These structural conventions with guarantees would seemingly make front-loading Smith-Njigba’s contract a necessity. Smith-Njigba would probably require a record-breaking signing bonus given Metcalf got one. A $40 million signing bonus wouldn’t be out of the question.
In a $39 million-per-year extension, Smith-Njigba would have $87.75 million of new money after the first two new contract years by getting Metcalf’s cash-flow percentages. He would be in a position for a new deal in 2030 when he is 28 after averaging $43.875 million per year over his first two extension or new years.
Smith-Njigba’s comments to WFAA suggest he is willing to be patient for a new deal. The Rams have more urgency with wide receiver Puka Nacua since there isn’t a fifth-year option with the 2023 fifth-round pick. Nacua, who is entering his contract year, finished third in the Offensive Player of the Year voting. He led the NFL with 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Smith-Njigba’s best deal in 2026 could come from letting Nacua go first. That’s only if he is confident in his fellow 2025 first-team All-Pro member getting a strong deal. Smith-Njigba having another All-Pro-caliber season in 2026 while continuing to play under his rookie contract would give him more ammunition to follow in Chase’s and Jefferson’s footsteps by topping non-quarterbacks in pay.
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