How Jaxon Smith-Njigba's contract extension impacts Seahawks, Rams' Puka Nacua

The Seattle Seahawks made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the NFL's highest-paid receiver on Monday -- and they did it without a whiff of the acrimony that came with other megadeals in their recent past.

The last time they made a nonspecialist the top-paid player at his position, it ended a monthslong contract dispute with safety Jamal Adams, who sat out the first three weeks of training camp in 2021.

In 2019, linebacker Bobby Wagner staged his own offseason hold-in while awaiting a top-of-the-market deal. It got done early in training camp, but with Wagner serving as his own agent, negotiations with one of the best players in franchise history got awkward.

Earlier that same year, quarterback Russell Wilson set an April 15 deadline for an extension, saying he'd play out the final year of his deal if a new one wasn't secured by then. General manager John Schneider had to bounce between draft meetings and the negotiating table before an agreement was reached at the 11th hour to make Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL.

There was no such drama between the Seahawks and Smith-Njigba, 24, as the two sides worked toward a deal that tops Wilson's for the richest in team history. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's a four-year, $168.6 million extension that includes over $120 million in guarantees.

Given the history, that a contract of this magnitude got done as quickly as it did might be surprising. At the same time, it makes sense given the player in question.

Smith-Njigba is an embodiment of the "Mission Over Bulls---" mantra the Seahawks adopted last season during their run to Super Bowl LX. Those who know Smith-Njigba well say he's genuinely more invested in the team's success than his personal accomplishments.

After leading the NFL in receiving in 2025, making his second straight Pro Bowl and being named AP Offensive Player of the Year, Smith-Njigba helped the Seahawks claim the second Lombardi Trophy in the franchise's history.

Now he has a record-setting contract to go with it.

NFL Nation Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson and senior NFL national reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano break down what Smith-Njigba's deal means for the Seahawks ... and a rival West Coast receiver who is also waiting for an extension.

Why did the Seahawks extend JSN now, after exercising his fifth-year option last week?

The Seahawks always planned to pick up Smith-Njigba's fifth-year option and negotiate an extension. The timing of this deal, though, is atypical for an organization that usually waits until later in the offseason to work out extensions, as was the case in recent years with players such as right tackle Abraham Lucas (2025), safety Julian Love (2024), outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (2023) and wide receiver DK Metcalf (2022).

Perhaps the Seahawks were motivated to get ahead of the wide receiver market, securing an extension for Smith-Njigba lest they wait and have to top whatever number Puka Nacua gets on his megadeal from the Los Angeles Rams. -- Henderson

What does this mean for CB Devon Witherspoon and subsequent moves for Seattle?

With the Smith-Njigba deal done, expect the Seahawks to turn their attention to an extension for Witherspoon, a fellow 2023 first-round pick and a tone setter on the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense. Seattle also picked up Witherspoon's fifth-year option last week at a projected cost of around $21.12 million for 2027.

The Rams gave Trent McDuffie a four-year, $124 million extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs -- which complicates things for the Seahawks. The deal makes McDuffie the league's top-paid corner at an average of $31 million per season, a number Witherspoon is now in position to top.

Witherspoon's résumé is stronger than McDuffie's, with an initial-ballot Pro Bowl berth in each of his first three seasons. Had it not been for running back Kenneth Walker III totaling 161 yards in Super Bowl LX, Witherspoon -- with a sack and another hit that led to a pick-six -- might have been the game's MVP.

Seattle may have already been prepared to make Witherspoon the game's top-paid corner, but McDuffie's deal raised that benchmark.

That helps explain the restraint the Seahawks showed in free agency seemingly in preparation for these extensions. While they were never expected to make serious efforts to keep cornerback Riq Woolen or outside linebacker Boye Mafe, they also let Walker and safety Coby Bryant walk for deals they could have fit under their cap.

But it's one thing to have enough cap space. Teams also need cash, and the Seahawks -- assuming they extend Witherspoon -- will be committing a ton of it up front in the form of signing bonuses for two top-of-the-market deals. -- Henderson

Could QB Sam Darnold get a new deal, too?

Not until next year. Darnold certainly has a case for a raise. The $33.5 million average of the three-year, $100.5 million deal he signed as a free agent last March ranks 15th in terms of annual salaries for quarterbacks. It's a bargain for a QB coming off a Pro Bowl season and a Super Bowl victory.

But the Seahawks do not extend contracts with more than one season remaining -- a nonnegotiable team policy on which they've held firm over the years. That's why it was a nonstarter when their previous quarterback, Geno Smith, wanted a new deal in 2024, as he was entering the second season of a three-year deal.

When asked at the NFL combine if Darnold could get an extension this offseason, Schneider stated, "Sam signed a three-year deal."

Technically, Smith-Njigba had two years remaining on his rookie contract once his option was exercised, as does Witherspoon. But Schneider has clarified that option years don't apply to the team's rule. -- Henderson

What does this mean for Rams' discussions with Nacua?

The impact is immense. Smith-Njigba and Nacua are 2023 draft mates with similar production through three NFL seasons. (Smith-Njigba has the receptions edge and a slight win in receiving touchdowns, 20 to 19, but Nacua has more yards.)

There's no question that Nacua and his agents will use Smith-Njigba's benchmark as a suitable comp, but getting there might not be easy. The Rams aren't afraid of tough negotiations. They made Aaron Donald hold out years ago in order to get his deal and dangled a trade for Matthew Stafford last offseason before eventually sweetening his deal.

Nacua and the Rams have plenty of time to execute a potential extension and there's no real rush. But Smith-Njigba's contract definitely helps Nacua -- unless Los Angeles finds the ballooning receiver market, which is up about 280% over the past decade, untenable. The flip side: The Rams identified Nacua as a star very early in his career and knew this day was coming. -- Fowler

Is JSN's contract structured to limit the immediate payout with eventual new ownership in mind?

The structure is favorable for the team, but I don't think it's because the team is being sold. In talking to people with knowledge of this and other Seahawks negotiations this offseason, I've been told the pending new ownership change has no impact on the business the Seahawks are doing right now.

The Seahawks have very rigid principles when it comes to veteran contract negotiations. Specifically, they do not guarantee any money outside of the first year of the deal. In the case of Smith-Njigba, however, he already had $23.852 million fully guaranteed for 2027 because they'd picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. This is why his 2027 money is guaranteed at signing in an apparent departure from the Seahawks' self-imposed rules.

Seattle will pay Smith-Njigba $36.5 million in 2026 -- a $35 million signing bonus, a $1.25 million base salary and a $250,000 workout bonus. They'll pay him $32.63 million in 2027, including a $30 million option bonus, a $1.53 million salary, a $250,000 workout bonus and $850,000 in per-game roster bonuses (assuming he plays all 17 games in 2027). After that, the 2028 money is guaranteed for injury only and doesn't become fully guaranteed until five days after Super Bowl 62, which is scheduled to be played in February 2028.

It's also interesting to note how the Smith-Njigba structure fits into the Seahawks' overall payroll picture. The extension they did for left tackle Charles Cross earlier this year included a $25 million signing bonus and a $15 million 2026 option bonus, plus an additional $8 million option bonus in 2028.

Smith-Njigba's contract includes option bonuses in 2027 and 2029, staggering them on the odd years while Cross' are in the even years, presumably to even out the year-to-year cash spend. Given the Seahawks appear to have adopted an every-other-year option bonus structure in these big-money deals, it'll be interesting to see which years of the inevitable Witherspoon extension include big option bonuses.

That's a long way of saying no but also illustrating the ways in which the Seahawks have structured this deal as part of an overall cap management and cash budgeting process that will help the current owners as well as the eventual new ones. -- Graziano