Before the 2024 season, we published predictions about final statistics for a few of the Seattle Seahawks’ top players.
Now, with the season ended, it’s time to go back and ask: Did those players meet, exceed or fall short of expectations during the 2024–25 campaign? Second-year wide receiver and former No. 20 overall pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba is first on the list.
Smith-Njigba might be one of the only players who exceeded projections this season, breaking out in his second NFL season.
Preseason Predictions
- 83 catches (115 targets)
- 1,054 receiving yards
- 7 touchdowns
- 70% catch rate
- 12.7 yards per reception
- Top 25 in the NFL in receiving yards
Smith-Njigba’s 2024 Season
*statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference
- 100 catches (137 targets)
- 1,130 receiving yards
- 6 touchdowns
- 73% catch rate
- 11.3 yards per reception
- 12th in the NFL in receiving yards
A big reason Smith-Njigba exceeded expectations this season is because now-fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb put so much stress on Geno Smith’s right arm. Seattle ran the ball on just 37.18 percent of their plays this season, fifth-least in the NFL.
However, despite a refusal to run the ball, which is likely why Grubb was fired after one season, Smith-Njigba was the biggest beneficiary of that approach.
Smith’s sheer volume of passes allowed Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant to all finish with at least 500 receiving yards. It was the first time since 2017 that four Seahawks receivers hit that mark in one season, and none of the four crossed 1,000 yards that year.
This season, Smith-Njigba smashed his rookie season receiving yards total by more than 500 yards, Metcalf finished with 992 yards and there was still enough wiggle room for Lockett and Fant to finish with decent numbers.
Smith-Njigba’s 24.1 percent target share ranked 29th in the NFL, but he also had the ninth-most targets of any receiver in the league. He tied Lockett’s single-season franchise record of 100 catches and had at least 50 receiving yards in 11 games (100 or more yards in three games).
After averaging just 9.97 yards per reception as a rookie and catching 67.7 percent of his targets, Smith-Njigba averaged 11.3 yards per reception and pulled in 73 percent of passes thrown his way — both metrics that explain his jump in production.
There simply was no other receiver in the NFL who rivaled Smith-Njigba’s production in the slot in 2024. Of his 137 targets, 81.8 percent came in the slot, per Pro Football Focus.
Smith-Njigba led all receivers in the slot in catches (83) and receiving yards (993) by a large margin. New York Giants receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was second in catches (67) and Los Angeles Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey trailed him in receiving yards (856). Smith-Njigba was also second in yards after the catch (423).
Only Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb has had more single-season receiving yards in the slot in the last three seasons (1,009 in 2023).
Smith-Njigba also had 14 explosive plays (20 or more yards) in 2024 after having just seven as a rookie. Grubb, for all his faults, was maximizing the former Ohio State prospect’s talents in the slot.
Metcalf was Seattle’s top receiver until he injured his knee and missed two games from Weeks 8–9. Before his injury, Metcalf was the third-leading receiver in the league and was on pace for 1,379 receiving yards.
Instead, Smith-Njigba emerged from there as the Seahawks’ bonafide top receiving threat. Metcalf finished with just 424 receiving yards over Seattle’s final eight games.
Smith-Njigba still hasn’t reached his ceiling in the NFL. It would be easy to expect a further rise in 2025 if Grubb was still employed by the Seahawks, but Smith-Njigba will instead have his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons since entering the league. He will have to find his role in yet another new system.
But Seattle now knows what its former first-round pick is capable of when fed the ball consistently. Whoever the team brings in will certainly keep Smith-Njigba as a focal point of the offense.
