Super Bowl champion and former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson believes Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best receiver in the NFL, and it's hard to argue with him. After all, JSN is on a path to NFL history, and he's doing it against some of the league's best defenders. This week, he made "Set Hut" history by becoming the first official guest on the CBS Sports show, and when asked about being the best receiver in the game, Smith-Njigba called the pressure a "privilege." He says his preparation for each game remains the same, no matter who he's playing against.
But if he had to crown the most difficult cornerback to face, that goes to the New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez. "I think Christian Gonzalez had the best game against us for sure," JSN said, giving credit to the former first-round pick, who he went against in Super Bowl LX. In the Super Bowl, Gonzalez allowed just one Smith-Njigba catch for 16 yards on five targets.
In the Week 1 championship rematch, the CB allowed no receptions while covering the WR directly over 10 coverage matchups and two targets, per Next Gen Stats. JSN had a total of eight catches for 122 yards in the season opener, but all were against zone coverage or against a different defender. JSN says he doesn't like to have a plan at the line of scrimmage and likes to "be creative." That creativity has put him on pace for the NFL's first 2,000-yard receiving season, currently with 405 yards in the air through three games.
The 24-year-old has put up those numbers in part without his Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold, who missed one game and change with a soft tissue injury. "It means a lot," JSN said when asked about the value of having their starter back. He added that it "felt right, felt comfortable" with Darnold during training camp.
"We're excited to build on year two with each other. Definitely got ultimate trust in him," Smith-Njigba said. "We love Sam, he's a baller, he's a playmaker and he wants to win, he's a winner.
It feels good having Sam back in the huddle." The Seahawks didn't win Darnold's first full game of the season, losing to the Washington Commanders 33-31 and snapping a franchise-best 12-game win streak. JSN called it a "tough one," but emphasized that the team will "keep battling." If the Seahawks are going to run it back, the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year says the key is burying their egos. "We understand that this is a new season, this is a new story, a new team. ...
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