Smith-Njigba had an All-Pro season in 2025, and now, he could be set to join an illustrious list in 2026.
The 2025 season will be remembered by the Seattle Seahawks for a lot of things, most notably the Super Bowl win, but there is another thread to pull.
We saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerge as one of the NFL's elite receivers.
His connection with Sam Darnold was evident from the outset, and what followed was a 1,793-yard, 10-TD season that saw JSN earn All-Pro honors and be named Offensive Player of the Year (though he received the wrong trophy from the NFL).
His route running, speed, and sure hands made Smith-Njigba nearly unguardable in Klint Kubiak's offense, as he became the weapon for the Seahawks.
Given that it was just his third NFL season, having a year like that will give Seahawks fans good vibes that they will see JSN tear apart defenses for the next seven or eight years.
Having won nearly everything in 2025 aside from the MVP, Smith-Njigba could be about to add another accolade of sorts to his resume...if NFL.com's Bucky Brooks' prediction comes to fruition.
Brooks has named seven players who he thinks will make their debut in the NFL's top 100 players list set to come out in the coming months, and he thinks Smith-Njigba will land inside the top 20.
"The 2025 Offensive Player of the Year swiped the crown from Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase as the NFL’s WR1," Brooks wrote. "JSN led the league in receiving yards (1,793), while seamlessly transitioning from doing most of his work in the slot to playing outside for the vast majority of his third season.
"With the 6-foot, 197-pound pass catcher emerging as an unstoppable force as a playmaker, the Seahawks made him the highest-paid player at his position this offseason."
Given that he was one of, if not the best, receivers in football last season, that seems about right.
To be in the upper echelon of players in football after his 2025 season would be another tip of the cap to Jaxon as he took his game to a level many didn't think he had.
But as odd as it sounds, now the truly hard part begins -- doing it again.
It is one thing to have one good season; it's another thing entirely to back it up with another All-Pro year.
Can JSN do it? In Fleury's offense, I think he's every chance.
