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01/16 10:00 CST All-Pro WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba a leader on and off the field for
the Seahawks amid record season
All-Pro WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba a leader on and off the field for the Seahawks
amid record season
By ANDREW DESTIN
AP Sports Writer
RENTON, Wash. (AP) --- Long before Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned into a household
name by leading the NFL in yards receiving for the Seattle Seahawks, he
developed a penchant for tracking down airborne balls --- on the baseball field.
Smith-Njigba, who grew up in suburban Dallas, played plenty of shortstop as a
kid in Rockwall, Texas, often racing into the outfield to track down flyballs
hit into shallow center field.
"That was just my thing, to go get the ball," Smith-Njigba said in October.
"I've always been a wide receiver ever since I was 3 years old. They would send
me on a corner route, and the ball is up in the air for a long time. So, it's
just something that I've naturally been doing all my life."
And something Smith-Njigba did quite frequently on the Seahawks' behalf in
2025, what with setting Seattle's record for yards receiving (1,793) and
receptions (119) in a single season, landing on The Associated Press 2025 NFL
All-Pro first team in the process.
For the Seahawks' sake, they hope Smith-Njigba will continue his year-long
dominance during Saturday evening's NFC divisional playoff game against the San
Francisco 49ers.
The 6-foot, 197-pound Smith-Njigba isn't normally the most physically
intimidating player when he steps on the field, but still he has thrived to
nine 100-yard receiving games this season. Even as defenses have become
increasingly more aware of Smith-Njigba, he has continued to produce.
Teammates like backup quarterback Drew Lock marvel at Smith-Njigba's
consistently collected demeanor, which he believes to be critical to the
wideout's success.
"Probably just how calm he can stay, knowing everybody's gunning for you,
knowing you're getting talked about all week," Lock said. "If you start out
with 10 catches and 100 yards, he doesn't get too high. He starts out with zero
or one (catch) for five (yards), he's the same guy. You don't get that very
often with receivers. And, it makes him special, in my opinion."
The quiet, reserved Smith-Njigba isn't like most receivers. Part of that stems
from his upbringing alongside his older brother, Canaan, who played
professional baseball with the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates, the
latter of which he appeared in 18 Major League games with.
"He taught me (to be) where your feet are and process over results in his own
way," Smith-Njigba said of Canaan. "I took it as an advantage to pick his mind
and to be able to see his career and how he went about it."
Of course, Smith-Njigba is a unique individual in his own right, and one that
Lock described as a "cool cat" to be around. During breaks in team meetings,
fellow wide receiver Rashid Shaheed has spotted Smith-Njigba playing games of
chess with Dareke Young a handful of times.
And in the locker room, Smith-Njigba isn't one to talk about himself. Rather,
he lets his play speak for itself, and allows for his good sense of humor to
shine through.
"He just wants to win," Shaheed said. "He doesn't care if he gets zero catches
or 13 catches. He knows he helps the team just by him being on the field. So,
that's all he really cares about, man. He's a competitor and he wants to win,
and that's all we ask for as a captain of a team."
Considering the jaw-dropping statistics Smith-Njigba racked up, especially
after Seattle parted ways with a couple veteran receivers in DK Metcalf and
Tyler Lockett over the offseason, it would be safe to assume the third-year pro
exceeded expectations in 2025.
There are plenty of reasons why Smith-Njigba produced at such an impressive
clip in 2025.
Shaheed has been particularly impressed by his ball skills, the same ones that
developed both on the gridiron and the diamond in Smith-Njigba's youth. Not to
mention, there's Smith-Njigba's intelligence and route-running abilities, which
allow him to deceive defenders either with his head or shoulders at a moment's
notice.
Whenever Smith-Njigba steps on the field for the Seahawks, it's a chess game.
He has ample choices, options and tools, and can turn to any of them with that
same cool, calm approach that has endeared him to his teammates, and forced the
league to take notice.
"Dude works really hard," Lock said, "and he's calm and loves football."
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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