The Seahawks' offense in 2025 went largely through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the same can't happen again in 2026.
The Seattle Seahawks' offense en route to their Super Bowl win went largely through All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
No. 11 was a menace for defenses to curtail as his connection with Sam Darnold was elite for the entire 2025 season.
Jaxon won Offensive Player of the Year after 1,793 yards and 10 TDs from 119 receptions to easily be Seattle's best weapon. But the problem, if you want to call it that, is not many others were a high-volume weapon for Darnold, especially receivers.
So now, for new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, he has to figure out who can help shoulder the load in the passing game so JSN doesn't have to do it all.
There are options.
An aging Cooper Kupp, special teams ace/receiver Rashid Shaheed, Jake Bobo, and Tory Horton could all help as a collective to give Darnold more than just one weapon to attack a defense with.
But I've got another idea in mind, and it is because of what team Fleury is coming to Seattle from.
The tight ends in AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo.
Barner produced a good second year in Seattle, posting 519 yards and 6 TDs from 52 receptions, and is widely considered to be an up-and-coming tight end in football.
Then there is Arroyo.
His rookie season saw him play 13 games (started four), and he managed 179 yards and a touchdown from 15 receptions.
Given Fleury's history as a tight ends coach in San Francisco, and the expectation he's bringing some of what he learned with the 49ers to Seattle, the tight ends could end up playing a bigger role in the offense than they did last year under Klint Kubiak.
Yes, the likes of Kupp and Shaheed will still see plenty of ball, but Barner and Arroyo could both see a serious uptick in production.
Getting both involved in the passing game, as even last season in San Francisco, when George Kittle went down with an injury, backup Jake Tonges still produced 293 yards and 5 TDs from 34 receptions.
If Barner can continue his ascension and Arroyo can offer up a stat line like Tonges or close to it, then the offensive burden of JSN will be lifted significantly.
Seattle needs more production from players other than Smith-Njigba, and looking at the tight end room might be one avenue to explore.
