Seattle Seahawks superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is eligible to get a contract extension and is looking to reset the market for wide receivers.
In an interview with WFAA’s Jonah Javad, Smith-Njigba said he wants to be the “highest paid” wide receiver.
“I would play this game for free,” he added. “I love this game so much. But you don’t have to, and I’m learning to be a good businessman, and we need that check at the end of the day.”
Ja’Marr Chase is currently the highest-paid receiver in the NFL with a $40.3 million average salary. Justin Jefferson leads WRs in terms of total guarantees with $110 million and fully guaranteed money at $88.7 million.
Smith-Njigba is coming off a season with he led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards while taking home the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award.
The first order of contract business for the Seahawks with Smith-Njigba is the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. It seems like a given that will be picked up prior to the May 1 deadline.
Assuming the option gets picked up, Smith-Njigba will be under contract through the 2027 season. The Seahawks could wait on negotiating an extension based on that timeline, but the market for receivers could also go up if they were to wait until after 2026 to try getting a deal done.
Seattle is in a good financial spot to negotiate an extension with Smith-Njigba right now. The club is projected to have around over $60 million in cap space available this offseason.
