Jaxon Smith-Njigba Extension Sets Up Three High-End NFL Wide Receivers to Cash In

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the NFL’s richest wide receiver, at least for now.

According to multiple reports, the Seahawks have inked the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that includes $120 million guaranteed. The pact will pay him an average of $42.15 million per season, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in league history.

The pay day for Smith-Njigba is certainly deserved. On the way to helping Seattle earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC this past season, the 24-year-old hauled in 119 receptions for an NFL-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He then carried said production into the postseason, tallying an additional 17 catches for 199 yards and two scores during a run that finished with a Super Bowl LIX victory over the Patriots.

Smith-Njigba’s extension will kick in beginning in 2028 and tie him to Seattle through the ‘31 season.

What it also does is set up his wide receiver counterparts to cash in as well. Not only does the deal light a fire under some of his draftmates’ teams to get extensions done, but it also establishes a new standard for any cream-of-the-crop pass catcher looking to get paid.

Here's a look at a handful of wide receivers who benefit from Smith-Njigba's new market-setting deal.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Zay Flowers was selected by the Ravens out of Boston College with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, two spots behind Smith-Njigba. He’s since gone on to post two consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons in 2024 and ‘25, rack up 16 total touchdowns, and be elected to two Pro Bowls.

Baltimore has yet to pick up Flowers’s fifth-year option, which would pay him $27.1 million in 2027.

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

Puka Nacua was a draft steal of the Rams in 2023, selected with the No. 177 pick (Round 5) as the 20th (!) wide receiver off the board. He's quickly gone on to become one of the top pass catchers in all of football, and in 2025 was named a First-Team All-Pro thanks to a 1,715-yard, 10-touchdown campaign while also leading the league in receptions with 129.

The former BYU Cougar was not a first-round pick, and therefore Los Angeles does not have a fifth-year option available on his contract—and while that could mean an extension is in his near future, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo insinuated on Monday that it might be a priority for the Rams.

“Based on the conversations that I have had,” the insider explained. “[This is] s a different situation with Puka and the Rams.”

George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

George Pickens has had quite the up-and-down start to his NFL career since being drafted by the Steelers with the No. 52 pick in 2022. After three seasons of quality football—and some sub-quality off-field criticism—he was ultimately shipped out of Pittsburgh (alongside a 2027 sixth-round pick) to the Cowboys last May in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

The 25-year-old then responded with the best season of his career to date, tallying highs in receptions (93), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (9) in 2025, and was named a second-team All-Pro. Pickens was franchise-tagged by Dallas prior to the start of the new league year, and while team executive Stephen Jones wouldn't put a timeline on an extension being done, his price tag is now only going up with the Smith-Njigba news.

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