The Seattle Seahawks have enjoyed the 2026 calendar year so far. Seattle dominated New England in Super Bowl 60 and looks poised to be a force in the NFC for years to come under Mike Macdonald. Now the Seahawks have locked in one of their best players on a long-term contract extension.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to a four-year extension worth $168.6 million on Monday. He is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL and will stay in Seattle into the 2030s.
But which side came out on top of this one? Or did both sides comes out looking good?
Here are grades for both the Seahawks and Jaxon Smith-Njigba after Monday's historic contract extension.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba becomes NFL's highest-paid wide receiver by a wide margin
JSN is obviously the biggest beneficiary of this contract.
The 24-year-old wide receiver put himself into the elite wide receiver category in 2025. He logged 119 receptions for 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season.
Now Smith-Njigba is the highest-paid wide receiver in the league by a wide margin. He is almost $2 million per year above Ja'Marr Chase ($40.25 million) at $42.15 million. JSN also makes double the average annual salary of the highest-paid running back (Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million) and tight end (George Kittle at $19.1 million).
JSN's contract also includes $120 million guaranteed, which is also unprecedented for a wide receiver contract.
Perhaps the best part of Smith-Njigba's extension is that it sets him up for another big payday in his late 20s after this deal expires.
JSN has to be thrilled about landing such a massive contract extension before the end of his rookie contract.
Grade: A+
Seahawks get a good deal by not waiting to extend JSN
Smith-Njigba clearly looks really good after landing such a big extension. But this deal was almost equally as good for the Seahawks themselves.
There is no question that Seattle wanted to keep JSN after he won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025. It was merely a question of when he got paid and how much it would cost the Seahawks.
Seattle deserves credit for acting with urgency in this matter. Player contracts are always increasing in value in the NFL, with the next player to be extended looking to become the highest-paid at their position. JSN has the credentials to demand even more than that.
If the Seahawks had waiting on a JSN extension, the price would only increase. Cowboys WR George Pickens and Rams WR Puka Nacua are just two players who look poised to land a large extensions in the near future. JSN's contract is now bad news for both teams, as they'll be forced to pay even more for their wide receivers.
Fortunately, Seattle's salary cap is in the perfect position to pay Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks are projected to have $49.49 million in cap space in 2027, which could easily be increased by restructuring contracts. After that, Seattle's books are nearly clear with $244.55 million in cap space in 2028.
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon is next in line for an extension. The Seahawks should be in position to pay Witherspoon as well, assuming they backload JSN's contract.
This was a great move by the Seahawks to solidify their future on offense.
Grade: A
