What does a Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract extension look like?
Seahawks favoring a contract for JSN over one for Kenneth Walker III
There are levels to salary cap frugality in the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks very well may be the most mindful franchise of how they use their resources. The evidence for that argument ranges from Seattle’s impressive amount of cap space for a Super Bowl winner to their approach to paying (and not paying) quarterbacks but the latest indication is a report by Adam Schefter that the Seahawks won’t tag Kenneth Walker III.
It’s just as important what Schefter didn’t say, which is that he didn’t tag on “because Seattle is trying to work out a long-term deal with Walker”. Maybe he just doesn’t have all the details, but “the team wants to sign him long-term” is a common phrase I see in reports like this every offseason. Not in this case.
However, Schefter didn’t say the Seahawks had no extensions in mind:
“The Seahawks have multiple free agents that they want to retain and sign, and the team would also try to extend the contract of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
That would go outside of Seattle’s usual policy to not extend players unless they’re entering a contract yet and JSN’s fifth-year option in 2027 would normally indicate that he’s not about to be a free agent. As I recently wrote, it could behoove JSN to wait before signing and that could be exactly why the Seahawks are trying to expedite the process now.
What will that next Smith-Njigba look like an how expensive will it be for Seattle? Given Seaside Joe’s previous accuracy on a DK Metcalf extension and a Geno Smith extension, as well as predicting the 2025 trades of both, even I’m curious to find out.