Can Bears’ Rome Odunze be the Next Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

Rome Odunze can make Bears history in 2026, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba showed him how.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

With the salary cap for the 2026 NFL season ballooning to over $300 million, we expected to see some historic new contracts being awarded to accomplished players this offseason, and on Monday morning, we got our first one. The Seattle Seahawks signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a record-setting extension worth $168.6 million for four years, or $42.15 million annually, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter. This deal makes Smith-Njigba the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, surpassing Ja'Marr Chase's contract extension with the Bengals.

ESPN Sources: Offensive Player of the Year and Super-Bowl champion Jaxon Smith-Njigba reached agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that now makes him the highest-paid WR in NFL history. 

The deal averages $42.15 million per year,… pic.twitter.com/WFBtZqE4L2

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2026

After an incredible 2025 NFL season, which saw Smith-Njigba earn NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year honors en route to a Super Bowl title, he has been duly rewarded with a record-setting contract. But records were made to be broken, and Smith-Njigba's reign as the highest-paid receiver in NFL history could be ended next year by none other than Rome Odunze.

Rome Odunze is already fulfilling a similar career arc as Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Through his first seven games of the 2025 NFL season, Odunze appeared to be in the middle of a breakout sophomore season. He was on pace to haul in 75 receptions for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, which would have been a vast improvement from his rookie year marks of 54 receptions, 734 yards, and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, Odunze popped up on the injury report with a foot injury ahead of Chicago's Week 9 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he wasn't the same for the rest of the year.

Smith-Njigba showed a similar career progression from Year 1 (63 receptions, 628 yards, four touchdowns) to Year 2 (100 receptions, 1,163 yards, and six touchdowns). Had Odunze continued on the pace he had set through seven games, you can see how closely his numbers would have mirrored Smith-Njigba.

Rome Odunze's first 34-game pace	Jaxon Smith-Njigba's first 34-games
129 receptions	163 receptions
1,858 yards	1,758 yards
15 touchdowns	10 touchdowns

In Year 3, Smith-Njigba exploded for 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, setting career highs all across the board and earning Offensive Player of the Year honors. Could Rome Odunze really pull off a similar feat in Year 3? For a franchise whose receiving records are still held by Johnny Morris, who last took a snap in 1967?

The Chicago Bears have cleared the deck Rome Odunze to take off

At the end of the day, Odunze is in a better situation heading into Year 3 than Smith-Njigba was. That seems crazy to say about the reigning Super Bowl champions, but let's look at the facts. Odunze's head coach is arguably the brightest young offensive mind in the league. The Bears traded receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, clearing the WR1 slot for Odunze. Most importantly, Odunze's quarterback situation is a far sight better than Smith-Njigba's. That's not to take away from Sam Darnold and his incredible career resurgence, but I don't think there's a general manager in the world who would take Darnold over Caleb Williams.

With Moore at the head of Chicago's receiver room and the Bears unlikely to add a top receiving talent in the draft, the table has been set for Odunze to lead Chicago's passing attack. The only threat to his production will be tight end Colston Loveland, who exploded onto the scene late in 2025 as Odunze struggled with his injury. But he's still just one player, and we've yet to see how a fully healthy Odunze and Loveland can share the load in the passing game.

The Bottom Line

Many NFL fans laugh at the very thought of a Chicago Bears offensive player winning any kind of individual award. But the times have changed, and these Bears aren't your father's Bears. With Ben Johnson calling the shots and Caleb Williams throwing the rock, Odunze has a real shot to make history by becoming the first Bear since Walter Payton in 1977 to win the Offensive Player of the Year award. Odunze was drafted ninth-overall in the 2024 NFL draft for a reason, after all. He's got the talent to be an elite receiver, and now he's got the opportunity.

If he does follow exactly in Smith-Njigba's footsteps and win Offensive Player of the Year en route to a Super Bowl title, then you can expect both Odunze and Williams to reset the wide receiver and quarterback markets exactly one year from now. That would put a strain on Chicago's salary cap, but it would be worth it to lock in two of the game's best playmakers.

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