Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has set his sights on a new goal: becoming the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver.
In a candid chat with WFAA's Jonah Jovad, the Seattle Seahawks star wideout expressed his ambitions. "I believe I deserve to be the highest paid in my position," Smith-Njigba shared.
"What I give to the game and the community, I give it my all. I think that's worth a lot more.
I would play this game for free - I love this game so much - but you don't have to. And I'm learning to be a good businessman, and we need that check at the end of the day."
Smith-Njigba's confidence isn't unfounded. At 24, he's coming off a career-best season, racking up 10 touchdowns and leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions. These impressive stats earned him the Offensive Player of the Year award and his first All-Pro nod.
Just last March, Cincinnati Bengals standout Ja'Marr Chase shook up the wide receiver market with a four-year, $161 million contract extension, surpassing Justin Jefferson by over $5 million in average annual salary. It's a lofty benchmark, but Smith-Njigba seems poised to make his case.
Though he's eligible for an extension when the new league year kicks off in March, Smith-Njigba is in no hurry. "I'm really not too pressed right now to get it done," he said. "I know my time is coming, and when we get it done, it's gonna be a great deal."
Seattle's front office has some room to maneuver, boasting $63.4 million in cap space, the sixth most in the league, according to Spotrac. Key players like Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, fellow wideout Rashid Shaheed, and linebacker Boye Mafe are set to hit free agency, making the offseason an interesting puzzle for the Seahawks to solve.