There’s no mystery at the top of the Seattle Seahawks’ receiver room anymore. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has taken that job and run with it, and the gap between him and everyone else is wide enough that the conversation has shifted to a different question entirely: who lines up next behind him?
Smith-Njigba didn’t just win the No. 1 role last season - he owned it. He finished with an NFL-best 1,793 receiving yards, added 119 catches to rank fourth in the league, and scored 10 touchdowns. The Seahawks may not have expected a Calvin Johnson-style eruption from him so quickly, but that’s the kind of season he delivered, falling just 171 yards short of Johnson’s 1,964-yard record.
And for at least the next four years, Smith-Njigba isn’t the one looking over his shoulder.
The real fight is for the No. 2 spot, where Cooper Kupp currently sits ahead of Rashid Shaheed on Seattle’s depth chart. That setup makes sense on paper.
Kupp is the more established receiver, while Shaheed also handles kick return duties, which gives him a different kind of role on the roster. But that alignment may not stay that way for long.
Shaheed has a real shot to pass Kupp, and the reasons are easy to see. Kupp is heading into his 10th NFL season and has battled injuries for years, missing multiple games in each of the past four seasons. He did stay on the field for all but one game last year, his first with Seattle, but he hasn’t been fully healthy since his Super Bowl run with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
That opens the door for Shaheed, who is younger, faster and more versatile. He’s also expected to take on a bigger role in Seattle’s offense next season after arriving in a trade from the New Orleans Saints and playing only a handful of games last year. He made an immediate impact on special teams, then needed a few games to settle into the offense.
By the time the playoffs arrived, Shaheed was making plays and delivering in big moments for the Seahawks. His speed and ability to stretch the field give Seattle a weapon it can’t really afford to underuse. If that means his role grows at Kupp’s expense, that’s the move the Seahawks should make.
For Kupp to keep his hold on the No. 2 job, he’ll need to stay healthy and top 593 receiving yards. Even then, the Seahawks could end up with a surprising receiver battle between two players at very different points in their careers.
For Seattle fans, it’s one more thing to watch as the 2026-27 season gets closer.
In Other News...
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Baltimore is one of the teams now getting dragged into the conversation, even though Steve Bisciotti has given no indication he wants to sell. The Ravens have been publicly valued around $6 billion, but a Seahawks-style premium suggests the real market could be meaningfully higher than that, which is exactly the kind of number that changes how owners, bidders and league insiders think about the next franchise to come available. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face One Roster Decision Fans Have Been Dreading All Offseason
The Seahawks have spent much of the offseason trying to patch holes left by departures in free agency, and the search has naturally turned toward the trade market. For a team trying to stay competitive while reworking parts of the roster, the appeal is obvious: add a proven player without waiting for the next wave of development, especially if the move can help a pass rush that has already taken a hit.
One name that keeps surfacing is Kayvon Thibodeaux, whose situation in New York has become more interesting as the Giants weigh their long-term plans at edge rusher. Seattle is also being linked to other possibilities as it looks for ways to upgrade, but every option comes with its own set of questions and timing issues. For now, the Seahawks are still in the stage of exploring what might be available, which is often the hardest part of an offseason decision that fans can already feel coming. [Read more 🡒]