The Seattle Seahawks are making Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.
Why Seahawks were ‘wise’ to get JSN megadeal done now
According to reports Monday morning, Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks have agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that averages $42.15 million per year. That surpasses the previous record for a wide receiver, which belonged to Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase at $40.25 million per year.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Smith-Njigba’s deal includes $69.1 million fully guaranteed at the signing and $120.1 million for injury.
News of the extension came three days after the Seahawks exercised the 2027 fifth-year option on Smith-Njigba’s rookie contract. Over The Cap projects his base salary for that season to be $23.85 million.
That means Smith-Njigba is now set to make $195.2 million over the next six seasons, which equates to an average of $32.5 million per year.
Based on Florio’s reporting, here’s a look at Spotrac.com’s year-by-year cash and salary cap breakdowns for Smith-Njigba’s contract.
Year-by-year cash breakdown
In addition to yearly base salaries, Florio reported that Smith-Njigba’s contract includes a $35 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $30 million option bonus for 2027 and a $10 million option bonus for 2029, along with per-game roster bonuses and annual workout bonuses.
Here’s a look at the year-by-year payout, according to Spotrac.
• 2026 – $36.5 million
• 2027 – $32.6 million
• 2028 – $19.9 million
• 2029 – $31 million
• 2030 – $33.3 million
• 2031 – $41.8 million
Year-by-year salary cap breakdown
Meanwhile, here’s a look at the year-by-year salary cap hits for the Seahawks, according to Spotrac. Also included is the year-by-year percentage of the salary cap that Smith-Njigba’s contract is projected to take up.
Keep in mind, the salary cap is projected to continue increasing each year. That’s why teams often backload their cap hits.
Also, there are mechanisms for teams to push cap hits into the future, which the Seahawks could eventually end up doing with Smith-Njigba’s ballooning 2030 and 2031 cap numbers.
• 2026 – $10.4 million (3.4% of projected cap)
• 2027 – $15.6 million (4.8%)
• 2028 – $32.9 million (9.3%)
• 2029 – $36 million (9.6%)
• 2030 – $48.3 million (12.15%)
• 2031 – $49 million (11.5%)
• 2032 – $2.5 million (void year)
More on the Seattle Seahawks
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• Mock Draft Roundup: Who will Seattle Seahawks pick at No. 32?
• Solak: How Seattle Seahawks can replace Walker’s biggest strength
• ESPN’s Yates: Don’t overlook Seahawks’ internal replacement options
