Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba enjoyed a breakout year in 2024 with 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six scores operating as the slot specialist in an offense that had Geno Smith under center along with a pair of vertical weapons in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett drawing attention away from Smith-Njigba.
Well, all three of those players I just mentioned are no longer with the team after Seattle brought in QB Sam Darnold, WR Cooper Kupp, and new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to shake things up for the Seahawks offense.
One analyst has concerns that all of these offseason changes might not be good for Smith-Njigba duplicating his production from 2024.
Are the Multitude of Offseason Changes in Seattle Going to Benefit Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
PFF NFL Analyst Nathan Jahnke sees all of the new faces and schemes as potential production pitfalls for Smith-Njigba entering the 2025 NFL season.
Jahnke wrote, “The team has a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback and three new wide receivers to join Smith-Njigba at the top of the depth chart. The changes might not be good news for his fantasy production.”
Sam Darnold wasn’t a death sentence for Justin Jefferson’s production in Minnesota last year, but quarterback wasn’t the only change on the offense to potentially impact Smith-Njigba.
Jahnke continued, “Seattle completely changed its wide receiver room, moving on from long-term starters D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett this offseason. In their place, Seattle added veterans Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and fifth-round pick Tory Horton. Kupp is Smith-Njigba’s primary competition for targets. He was a great receiver earlier in his career, but his PFF receiving grade has dropped to 71.1 and 72.3 over the past two seasons, respectively. Talent-wise, Smith-Njigba should be the clear top option in the Seahawks’ offense.”
The signing of Kupp is a bit perplexing given the similar styles of play between the top two receivers on the Seahawks roster, but if Kupp can return to his 2021 form then we likely won’t hear a peep from Seattle fans.
How Will Klint Kubiak Use Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp in 2025?
Back to the overlapping skill sets of Smith-Njigba and Kupp… It is going to be fascinating to see how offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak deploys both of these pass-catching weapons this season.
Jahnke added, “One concern is that Kubiak’s offenses have relied a lot on the run game, and that will likely be the case for the Seahawks. Kubiak may want the best run-blocking wide receivers on the field for some early-down plays. Smith-Njigba is the smallest of the Seahawks’ top wide receivers, and his 42.2 PFF run-blocking grade is the 11th lowest among 80 wide receivers with at least 1,000 snaps in the past two seasons. Kupp ranks 12th at 60.3, while Valdes-Scantling places 33rd at 54.6. Rookie Tory Horton is also noted to be a willing blocker. Smith-Njigba might be back to primarily playing in three-wide receiver sets in this offense in 2025.”
Smith-Njigba, as the younger player with more upside moving forward, feels like the logical choice to stay in a role he has already proven he can excel in. Yet, Kupp is still a savvy veteran with a high football IQ who Kubiak could have specific ideas for in his offense.
Jahnke concluded, “This means Smith-Njigba and Kupp will play out wide more than usual. If Seattle uses three-wide receiver sets only 50% of the time and the two split the slot snaps evenly, both could line up in the slot for roughly 25% of their snaps. Smith-Njigba has a better yards per route run lined up out wide compared to the slot, so that might not be a terrible move for his fantasy value.”
Smith-Njigba is still a player with the arrow pointing firm in an ascending position, but these changes may not lead to another huge jump in production in 2025.
