The Seattle Seahawks are sitting pretty at 10-3, stacking back-to-back double-digit win seasons and looking every bit like a team built not just for now, but for the long haul. The roster is a compelling mix of rising young talent and savvy veterans who know how to win.
Two names that stand out in that youth movement? Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and rookie safety Nick Emmanwori - and it turns out their connection goes deeper than just sharing the practice field.
Let’s start with JSN. In his third year, he’s not just having a good season - he’s leading the league in receiving yards with 1,428 through 13 games and sits second in touchdown receptions with nine.
That’s elite production, period. But what makes it more impressive is how far he’s come since a rookie campaign that saw him underutilized in a system that didn’t quite know how to unleash him.
Fast forward to now, and Smith-Njigba is putting defensive backs on skates every Sunday.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Nick Emmanwori is making his own kind of noise. Drafted in the second round this past spring, the rookie came in with a reputation as a versatile, physical defender - and he’s lived up to the billing. He’s already carved out a significant role in Seattle’s defense, and he’s doing it with poise and toughness that belie his age.
Interestingly, part of Emmanwori’s rapid development might be thanks to the guy lighting up the stat sheet on offense. Smith-Njigba didn’t hold back when asked about Emmanwori after Seattle’s dominant 37-9 win over Atlanta in Week 14. His answer wasn’t just a soundbite - it was a window into the culture the Seahawks are building.
“I talk a lot of crap to Nick,” JSN said with a grin. “All year.
He’s been my rookie that I’ve kind of been picking on, but I tell him he could be a legend. Mike Macdonald is going to have him in a great spot to play fast, and we all know that.
I’m on him until probably next year, and then I’ll probably still be talking a lot more crap next year. But yeah, that’s the guy I kind of pick on and talk smack to on defense.
He’s a great player.”
That’s not just trash talk - that’s mentorship, Seahawks-style. It’s how leaders are made in locker rooms: iron sharpening iron, with a little bit of swagger and a whole lot of belief.
Smith-Njigba isn’t just challenging Emmanwori for the sake of it - he sees something in him. And when one of the league’s top receivers tells a rookie safety he has the tools to be a legend, that carries weight.
The best part for Seattle? These two are going to be around for a while.
Smith-Njigba, a 2023 first-round pick, is under team control through at least 2026, with a likely extension on the horizon. Emmanwori, locked in through 2028, is already playing like a foundational piece.
If he keeps trending the way he is, don’t be surprised if the Seahawks move early to secure his long-term future.
This is how winning franchises are built - not just with talent, but with relationships, competition, and a shared belief in something bigger. Smith-Njigba and Emmanwori are two young stars helping shape the next era of Seahawks football. And if this season is any indication, that era could be a special one.