Seahawks tout Smith-Njigba's record deal: A 'foundational' player - ESPN

RENTON, Wash. — During a news conference Wednesday to discuss Jaxon Smith-Njigba's record-setting contract extension, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider remembered the disappointment he felt while leaving the star wide receiver's Ohio State pro day almost exactly three years earlier.

Smith-Njigba wasn't expected to run a 40-yard dash that day while still recovering from the hamstring injury that cut short his final college season. When he clocked a solid time of 4.48 seconds at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Schneider was convinced that Seattle's chances of drafting him had just vanished.

«I was like, 'There's no way,'» Schneider said. "'Why are we meeting with this guy?'"

The Seahawks didn't imagine they'd be able to land Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick in 2023. Three seasons, two Pro Bowls and one Offensive Player of the Year award later, Smith-Njigba has been locked up for the long term by the Super Bowl champions via a four-year, $168.6 million extension that he signed Wednesday.

«This is a really exciting day for the Seahawks organization,» Schneider said. «When you go to ownership and you ask for an investment like this, you always have to be so cognizant of who the person is, and I'm just so proud of Jax and who he is as a person. Your parents did a great job of raising you, man. People forget how young you are.»

At 24 years old, Smith-Njigba is now the NFL's highest-paid receiver with a new-money average of $42.15 million. His deal, which puts him under contract through 2031, also topped quarterback Russell Wilson's four-year, $140 million extension from 2019 for the richest in franchise history.

The Seahawks felt comfortable making that large of a commitment because of Smith-Njigba's character in