Seahawks' 2024 Breakout Player: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Seattle Seahawks sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba performed admirably as a rookie contributor last season. There’s another level for the former first-round pick to unlock in 2024. Year two could welcome a 1,000-yard season.

The No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was involved in the offense immediately, though it took him several weeks to begin making his impact. Smith-Njigba totaled a snap-share between 44% and 59% through Seattle's opening four contests. After the Seahawks returned from a Week 5 bye, an off-week Smith-Njigba undoubtedly made use of, the former Ohio State standout played 62% or more of Seattle's snaps every week moving forward.

Smith-Njigba's production followed a similar trajectory. He recorded 13, 34, 10, and five receiving yards in the first four games. Following the bye, Smith-Njigba accumulated 406 receiving yards over his next eight appearances, averaging 50.75 yards per game during that span. 

The Dallas, Texas native scored his first career touchdown in a Week 7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He made it a streak with a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, scoring the game-winner with less than a minute left to play.

It wasn't Smith-Njigba's lone game-winning touchdown of the campaign. He did something spectacular on a 3rd-and-10 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15 with merely 33 seconds remaining. Smith-Njigba is a big-moment playmaker who hauled in this over-the-shoulder beauty from quarterback Drew Lock.

All in all, Smith-Njigba produced 63 receptions for 628 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He totaled a healthy 675 snaps during the regular season, which accounted for 64.22% of all Seahawks offensive plays. Smith-Njigba's slow start indicates there's room for growth in 2024.

He was the Seahawks' third-most snapped receiver, trailing Tyler Lockett (839) and D.K. Metcalf (831). Seattle's top two wideouts played nearly 80% of all snaps. I wonder if Smith-Njigba could surpass Lockett this season in the passing-game pecking order.

Lockett will turn 32 years old in September. The Pro Bowler is still a difference-maker, but warning signs of inevitable regression are already present. He produced 894 receiving yards, just 212 more than Smith-Njigba, in 17 regular-season appearances last year. It represented the lowest single-season receiving yards output of Lockett's career since 2017 and the first time he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2018.

Lockett is also a potential cap casualty next offseason. The Seahawks would save $17 million against the 2025 cap by releasing him from his contract, per OverTheCap. Smith-Njigba was drafted as Lockett's eventual replacement and Seattle has reason to begin preparing their second-year wideout appropriately this season.

There's also a new coaching staff in place. Defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald hired former Washington Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as his offensive coordinator. Grubb helped oversee one of the most explosive college offenses in the nation last season and was coaching in the NCAA when Smith-Njigba had a 1,606-yard season at Ohio State in 2021.

Smith-Njigba flashed a ton of potential as a rookie. He also got consistently better as the campaign progressed. A 1,000-yard season could arrive for Smith-Njigba in 2024 as he establishes himself as Seattle’s long-term WR2.