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(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks‘ Jaxon Smith-Njigba really took his game to another level this season as he established himself as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Moreover, his leap in development rewarded the front office’s faith in him after shipping DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason.
Smith-Njigba posted 119 catches for 1,793 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 17 games this season, per StatMuse. Meanwhile, in the players, the Seahawks’ young star is also producing, recording 13 catches for 172 yards and has scored two touchdowns in two games in the 2025 playoffs, per StatMuse.
The rise to being the No. 1 guy in Seattle hasn’t gone unnoticed by Smith-Njigba’s peers around the league. Las Vegas Raiders standout Maxx Crosby didn’t hold back his thoughts on the Seahawks star.
“I feel that JSN is unreal,” Crosby said in a Jan. 28 video from The Rush Podcast. “He’s had a crazy year, bro. He’s been going nuclear, and clearly they knew in that front office how good he was by letting DK go and Tyler Locket go, and just seeing him explode into being that number one receiver that clearly they saw him being. You got to give them a lot of credit, too.”
Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba Talks Reaching Super Bowl
Smith-Njigba recorded 10 receptions for 153 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. In the tightly contested matchup against the Rams, the Seahawks had their best players step up with so much on the line.
After the win, the Seattle standout spoke with FOX Sports and shared his thoughts on his performance as the Seahawks are now one win away from winning a Super Bowl.
“I told my team, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes. Whatever you all ask for me, I’m going to get it done. Whatever that might be,’” Smith-Njigba said postgame. “And that’s what you saw today. You just saw grit, determination. You saw passion out there, and you saw a group, a collective, going out there and getting the job done.”
Sam Darnold Earns Praise From Joe Montana
Nonetheless, Smith-Njigba isn’t the only player getting his flowers for an amazing season that has led to a Super Bowl appearance. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is drawing praise not only for a strong showing in the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams, but also for the way the quarterback has reshaped the narrative around the career.
After leaving the New York Jets, Darnold carried the label of a bust for several seasons. That perception began to shift following a stop with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, then fully changed after an impressive 2024 run with the Minnesota Vikings.
The former USC Trojans standout now looks like a player who has found a second act rather than a cautionary tale. Darnold signed with the Seahawks last season, and it’s been a marriage that has led to a Super Bowl appearance in Year 1.
During a Jan. 27 appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” 49ers legend Joe Montana shared his thoughts on Darnold’s turnaround.
“I’m all for Sam Darnold,” Montana said. “The things that he’s been through, the places that he’s played, the games that he’s won, even here in San Francisco before he got to Minnesota. I mean, come on.
“I saw the stat the other day on Sunday. He’s won 28 games in the last two teams he was with, and he’s now getting another chance here, and he’s doing the same thing. And I’m pulling for him. I’m an NFC guy most of the time anyway, but I’m all about Sam. He’s a good guy, good player, and I’m happy for him.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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