All-Pro WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba a leader on and off the field for the Seahawks amid record season

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Long before Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned into a household name by leading the NFL in yards receiving for the Seattle Seahawks, he developed a penchant for tracking down airborne balls — on the baseball field. Smith-Njigba, who grew up in suburban Dallas, played plenty of shortstop as a kid in Rockwall, Texas, often racing into the outfield to track down flyballs hit into shallow center field. "That was just my thing, to go get the ball," Smith-Njigba said in October. "I've always been a wide receiver ever since I was 3 years old. They would send me on a corner route, and the ball is up in the air for a long time. So, it's just something that I've naturally been doing all my life." And something Smith-Njigba did quite frequently on the Seahawks' behalf in 2025, what with setting Seattle's record for yards receiving (1,793) and receptions (119) in a single season, landing on The Associated Press 2025 NFL All-Pro first team in the process. For the Seahawks' sake, they hope Smith-Njigba will continue his year-long dominance during Saturday evening's NFC divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. The 6-foot, 197-pound Smith-Njigba isn't normally the most physically intimidating player when he steps on the field, but still he has thrived to nine 100-yard receiving games this season. Even as defenses have become increasingly more aware of Smith-Njigba, he has continued to produce. Teammates like backup quarterback Drew Lock marvel at Smith-Njigba's consistently collected demeanor, which he believes to be critical to the wideout's success. "Probably just how calm he can stay, knowing everybody's gunning for you, knowing you're getting talked about all week," Lock said. "If you start out with 10 catches and 100 yards, he doesn't get too high. He starts out with zero or one (catch) for five (yards), he's the same guy. You don't get that very often with receivers. And, it makes him special, in my opinion." The quiet, reserved Smith-Njigba isn't like most receivers. Part of that stems from his upbringing alongside his older brother, Canaan, who played professional baseball with the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates, the latter of which he appeared in 18 Major League games with. "He taught me (to be) where your feet are and process over results in his own way," Smith-Njigba said of Canaan. "I took it as an advantage to pick his mind and to be able to see his career and how he went about it." Of course, Smith-Njigba is a unique individual in his own right, and one that Lock described as a "cool cat" to be around. During breaks in team meetings, fellow wide receiver Rashid Shaheed has spotted Smith-Njigba playing games of chess with Dareke Young a handful of times. And in the locker room, Smith-Njigba isn't one to talk about himself. Rather, he lets his play speak for itself, and allows for his good sense of humor to shine through. "He just wants to win," Shaheed said. "He doesn't care if he gets zero catches or 13 catches. He knows he helps the team just by him being on the field. So, that's all he really cares about, man. He's a competitor and he wants to win, and that's all we ask for as a captain of a team." Considering the jaw-dropping statistics Smith-Njigba racked up, especially after Seattle parted ways with a couple veteran receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett over the offseason, it would be safe to assume the third-year pro exceeded expectations in 2025. There are plenty of reasons why Smith-Njigba produced at such an impressive clip in 2025. Shaheed has been particularly impressed by his ball skills, the same ones that developed both on the gridiron and the diamond in Smith-Njigba's youth. Not to mention, there's Smith-Njigba's intelligence and route-running abilities, which allow him to deceive defenders either with his head or shoulders at a moment's notice. Whenever Smith-Njigba steps on the field for the Seahawks, it's a chess game. He has ample choices, options and tools, and can turn to any of them with that same cool, calm approach that has endeared him to his teammates, and forced the league to take notice. "Dude works really hard," Lock said, "and he's calm and loves football."