Jaxon Smith-Njigba does something no Seahawk has done in forty years

It may have not been the record-breaking campaign that it looked on pace to be early in the season, but JSN locked in one major accomplishment today.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) reacts after a catch. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Jaxon Smith-Njigba made history today. Maybe not the kind of history that he was being hyped for earlier this season, when his torrid pace indicated 2,000 yards and the all-time single-season NFL receiving yards record was on the table, but history nonetheless. 

When the Los Angeles Rams left the field in SoFi Stadium earlier today, winners of a 37-20 game against the Arizona Cardinals, so too left the only player who had any chance of knocking JSN off the top of the list in receiving yards for the season. Sitting at 1,793 after yesterday’s hard-fought win over the 49ers, Smith-Njigba only had to sweat out Puka Nacua of the Rams.

Puka played a fine game, ten catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. But he would have needed 155, more than double what he got, to beat out JSN. The Rams clearly had other priorities, needing to secure a win to get the #5 seed and a game against the Carolina Panthers in the wild card round, but Puka has had games with that level of production before.

It caps a season where JSN is expected by many to win Offensive Player of the Year, as he was clearly the best and most important player on one of the best offenses in football. The Seahawks will be finishing the season third in points scored despite this being the first year under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterback Sam Darnold.

It’s also the first time in forty years that a Seahawk has led the NFL in receiving yards. Steve Largent posted 1,287 yards and won the receiving title in 1985, having done it once before in 1979 with 1,237 yards.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba shattered the previous single-season records for the franchise in 2025, with weeks to spare. 119 receptions leaves his own former record of 100 (tied with Tyler Lockett) in the dust, and his yardage total this season is nearly 500 more than D.K. Metcalf’s 2020 of 1,303 yards. JSN left no doubt that his 2025 season is the best this team has ever seen from a WR.

Obviously, there are games left to play, and a Super Bowl ring will mean a lot more than a receiving yard title. But in what has been a breakout year beyond all but the most optimistic expectations, it’s a great feather in the cap of the best player on the best team in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs for yards after the catch against the Indianapolis Colts. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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