.png) Smith-Njigba in 2023 | |||||||||||
| No. 11 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (2002-02-14)February 14, 2002 (age 23) Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Rockwall (Rockwall, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2020–2022) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2023: 1st round, 20th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba (/ɪnˈdʒɪɡbə/in-JIG-bə; born February 14, 2002), also known by his initialsJSN, is an American professionalfootballwide receiver for theSeattle Seahawks of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes, where he set school records for receptions in a single game (15, twice) and receiving yards in a season (1,606 in2021). Smith-Njigba was selected 20th overall by the Seahawks in the first round of the2023 NFL draft. He became a starter in his second season, amassing 1,130 receiving yards and earning his firstPro Bowl selection. In the 2025 season, Smith-Njigba set a Seahawks franchise record with a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions, earning himOffensive Player of the Year (OPOY) honors. That same season, he helped the Seahawks winSuper Bowl LX.
Smith-Njigba was born on February 14, 2002, inNacogdoches, Texas, to Maada and Jami Smith, and grew up inRockwall, Texas, attendingRockwall High School.[1][2][3] After he and Jami divorced, Maada began putting Jaxon and his older brotherCanaan through daily sports workouts as a means of bonding with and passing the time with his sons, sometimes starting at 6 a.m. Although Maada initially only sought to "tire them out" so he could put them to bed, as they grew up, he found himself surprised at their skill.[3]
At Rockwall, Smith-Njigba led all high school football players in theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex with 97receptions for 1,828 yards and 20touchdowns in his junior season.[4] As a senior, he caught 104 passes for 2,094 yards and 35 touchdowns and was named the recipient of both theLandry Award and the Texas Gatorade Football Player of the Year award.[5][6] Smith-Njigba played in the 2019All-American Bowl and was named a high school All-American bySports Illustrated andUSA Today.[7][8] Smith-Njigba finished his high school career with 5,346 career receiving yards and 82 touchdowns in 44 games played.[9] A 5 star prospect and the #5 ranked wide receiver in the nation, Smith-Njigba received offers from many topcollege football programs includingNotre Dame,Oklahoma andOle Miss, ultimately committing toOhio State University.[10][11]
Smith-Njigba played in seven games as a freshman and led Ohio State's freshmen with 10 receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown.[12]
He was named a starter at the slot receiver position for the Buckeyes going into his sophomore season.[13] On November 6, 2021, Smith-Njigba recorded 15 receptions (single game school record) for 240 yards (the second most receiving yards in a game in school history at the time) and one touchdown in a 26–17 win againstNebraska.[14] Later that season, he set both an Ohio State single game andFBS Bowl record for receiving yards with 347 in Ohio State's win in the2022 Rose Bowl.[15] In that game, he also recorded 15 receptions (tying his own record set in the aforementioned Nebraska game) and passedDavid Boston for the single season receiving yards record at Ohio State with 1,606.[16]
Smith-Njigba was limited to just three games in 2022 due to a hamstring injury and his decision to not participate in theCollege Football Playoff.[17] In addition, Smith-Njigba announced that he would forgo his senior year of college and enter the2023 NFL draft.[18]
| Ohio State Buckeyes | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Receiving | Returning | ||||||||||||
| GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 49 | 4.9 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 95 | 1,606 | 16.9 | 9 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 0 | |||||
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | |||||
| Career | 23 | 16 | 110 | 1,698 | 15.4 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 6.5 | 0 | |||||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) | 4.52 s | 1.65 s | 2.61 s | 3.93 s | 6.57 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[19][20] | ||||||||||||
Smith-Njigba was selected by theSeattle Seahawks in the first round (20th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.[21]
He caught his first regular-season NFL pass Week 1 against theLos Angeles Rams with a one-yard completion fromGeno Smith.[22] Smith-Njigba started his first game in Week 7 of that year after starterDK Metcalf was sidelined due to a rib injury;[23] during that game, he caught his first career touchdown pass on a 28-yard pass from Smith.[24] On October 29, Smith-Njigba caught the game winning touchdown pass from Smith on screen pass against theCleveland Browns.[25] On December 18, Smith-Njigba caught the game winning touchdown pass fromDrew Lock onMonday Night Football against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[26] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and made three starts. He finished with 63 receptions for 628 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[27]
In the 2024 season during the Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Smith-Njigba recorded a career high game with seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns.[28] He finished the 2024 season with 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns.[29] His 100 total receptions on the season tiedTyler Lockett for the franchise record.[30] Smith-Njigba also made thePro Bowl for the first time in his career.[31]
In the 2025 season, Smith-Njigba was named NFC Offensive Player Of The Month after recording 24 catches with 417 yards and three touchdowns in October.[32] On November 23, 2025, Smith-Njigba broke the Seahawks single-season receiving yard record in a game against theTennessee Titans, surpassingDK Metcalf’s previous mark of 1,303 yards.[33]
For the 2025 season, Smith-Njigba led the league in receiving yards with 1,793.Puka Nacua of theLos Angeles Rams finished second with 1,715 yards and the next closest receiver would beGeorge Pickens of theDallas Cowboys, who was over 300 yards behind Smith-Njigba.[34]In the 2025NFC Championship Game against the Rams, Smith-Njigba set a season-high in receptions with ten, to go with 153 yards and one touchdown, in the 31-27 victory, propelling Seattle toSuper Bowl LX and the franchise’s first NFC titlein eleven years.[35]
At season's end, Smith-Njigba was selected to thePro Bowl, was unanimously named afirst-team All-Pro receiver and received the 2025AP Offensive Player of the Year award.[36][37] He became just the second Seahawk to win Offensive Player of the Year afterShaun Alexander in 2005. He beat out division rivalsChristian McCaffrey andPuka Nacua, as well asBijan Robinson andDrake Maye to win the award.[38] He won his first Super Bowl when the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX.[39] He had four receptions for 27 yards in the Super Bowl.[40]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| APNFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2023 | SEA | 17 | 3 | 93 | 63 | 628 | 10.0 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA | 17 | 16 | 137 | 100 | 1,130 | 11.3 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | SEA | 17 | 17 | 163 | 119 | 1,793 | 15.1 | 63 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| Career | 51 | 36 | 393 | 282 | 3,551 | 12.6 | 63 | 20 | 4 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2025 | SEA | 3 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 199 | 11.7 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 199 | 11.7 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Smith-Njigba is aChristian.[41][42] He is of half white and Sierra Leonean descent, and wears the country’s flag on the back of his helmet.[43] His paternal grandparents are fromSierra Leone.[44]
In his early years, Smith-Njigba only went by "Jaxon Smith." He appended "Njigba" to his surname upon reaching high school to honor his grandfather, John, after he died in 2014; John had changed his name to "Smith" upon immigrating to the United States in the 1970s in order to fit in.[3]
Smith-Njigba's older brother,Canaan Smith-Njigba, is a professional baseball player who is currently a free agent.[45]
