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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks captured Super Bowl LX, but the celebration did not last long inside the front office. Attention has already shifted toward important roster decisions, with several players approaching free agency or due for new contracts in the near future.
One player seeking an extension is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who proved during the 2025 NFL season that he can perform as a true No. 1 receiver. Smith-Njigba finished with 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns across 17 regular-season games in 2025, according to StatMuse.
As Smith-Njigba publicly expressed confidence that he deserves to become the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus sees no problem if the Seahawks want to reset the market with the wide receiver.
“He’s producing,” Bumpus said in a video posted by Seattle Sports on Feb. 24. “He produced at a rate that no one else produced at his position this year. Yet you don’t want to pay this man. Yet you don’t want him on your team. You’re all tripping. Pay this dude his money. Give this man his money, and we’ll figure the rest out.
“Everybody deals with this every single year. Everyone deals with it. This is a problem every team has in the NFL. It’s not special to the Seahawks. This is what happens when you win. When you win, you got ballers. Ballers get more money. Can’t pay everybody. Salary cap goes up. Readjust next year.”
JSN Should Be Paid the Going Rate for NFL Wideout
Moreover, Bumpus believes the going rate for an elite wide receiver continues to rise, and Smith-Njigba is part of that category after the 2025 season he had.
“All across the league, receivers are getting paid hundreds of millions of dollars,” Bumpus added. “$40 million a year for Ja’Marr Chase, $35 million for Justin Jefferson, $33 million for CeeDee Lamb. They’re the ones paying it. So what does that say about the receiver position itself? It’s not the one that is the foundation, but it might tip you over the top a little bit. You might need a big play. You might need a 60-yard bomb. You got to have a guy on the outside who can beat that defender.
“So as much as people want to complain about paying receivers, you’re not paying them. I’m not paying them. The league is paying these guys, and they’re getting money. So be mad at them, all right? I’m following the trend. You got a receiver, and he’s a baller, and he balls out in his contract time. Pay that man and try to keep him here.”
Should the Seahawks Make JSN the Highest Paid Wideout?
Meanwhile, FS1’s Colin Cowherd shared his thoughts on whether the Seahawks should go through with making Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wideout in the league.
“We talk about this a lot in football, that these windows with a hard cap, they last very briefly,” Cowherd said on the Feb. 23 edition of “The Herd.“ “… The windows close very quickly because guys get hurt. So Jaxon Smith‑Njigba, who there’s an argument he’s the best receiver in football right now, of the Seahawks, is now eligible for a contract extension.
“But this is the downside to winning the Super Bowl. Everybody wants to get paid, and most want to get paid a lot, and they want to get paid early, and he certainly is worthy of it. So that’s why you have to take advantage of these windows that open.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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