The Seattle Seahawks announced the massive contract extension for star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Wednesday, underscoring the decision to pay handsomely for a receiver because he's the rock of the organization.
The keyword repeated by both coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider at Wednesday's press conference was "foundational" -- as in, JSN was the bedrock of everything their organization prizes and wants to continue to be.
"One of the great things that paints a great picture about what Jax means to us, being a foundational piece of our football team and our organization, is we've got a full house here," Macdonald said, via the team's official website. "This is pretty awesome. We've got dang near the whole Seattle Seahawks organization supporting Jax on this day. I just want to emphasize how excited we are.
"He's going to be here and he's a foundational piece, he's a cornerstone of our team. Just being able to see his growth over the two years that we've been here. I mean, the sky's the limit. This is the beginning. This is another iteration of our football team, and Jax is obviously going to be a huge part of it and where we want to go and where we want to take our team, and I know it's early in his career, but he's already a leader on our team and will be for a long time. So we're really excited."
Smith-Njigba inked a four-year, $168.6 million extension, locking the NFL's leading receiver down for the next six seasons. The $42.15 million per year in new money is a huge chunk of change, but the Seahawks were smart to get ahead of a continually escalating WR market. The team was comfortable doing so because it knows what type of player and person he is.
"This is a really exciting day for the Seahawks organization, and obviously for Jax," Schneider said. "When you go to ownership and you ask for an investment like this, you have to be so cognizant of who the person is. I'm so proud of who Jaxon is as a person. Your parents did a great job raising you… Obviously, a young foundational piece. Offensive Player of the Year. We're super excited, everybody in the building. We're all here for you, Jax. Have been from Day 1, and I know you'll be great moving forward. You're a great teammate, great person. The city of Seattle has to be jacked that he'll be with us for a long time here. With that, I want to thank (Seahawks chair) Jody (Allen) for her support, (Seahawks president) Chuck Arnold and (vice president of football administration) Joey Laine for all those long hours on the phone with (agent) Joel Segal."
Smith-Njigba is coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, averaging a career-high 15.1 yards per catch on 119 grabs with 10 touchdowns. His ability to get open consistently against every coverage, provide sticky hands and serve as a go-to target makes the Seahawks offense function.
JSN was a pivotal part of the Seahawks' Super Bowl run last year. But he's not satisfied with his massive payday and one Lombardi. If anything, he's further motivated by the success of the past year.
"The only thing better than one Super Bowl is two," Smith-Njigba said, smirking. "So just working to get there, whatever my team needs from me, I make sure I get it done."
