All he needed was for wide receiver DK Metcalf to be traded, and Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba could truly be great. Maybe instead of Metcalf taking some of the coverage from JSN, he was really taking some targets Smith-Njigba should have gotten.
After all, through six games this season, JSN has a league-leading 696 receiving yards. That is also a Seahawks record through that point in any season. He is trending toward a 2,000-yard campaign in 2025, and while that is unlikely to happen, he could get to 1,500.
He does have a tough matchup in Week 7, though. The Houston Texans' defense overall is great, and the secondary, led by Derek Stingley Jr., is elite. If Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold has time to throw, he might not have as much time to find JSN. 12s might expect the running backs to get more targets.
Texans' DeMeco Ryans understands what a special player Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans understands how dangerous Jaxon Smith-Njigba can be, however. He understands that limiting a Seahawks offense that leads the NFL in yards per play (6.3) means focusing on slowing JSN.
Ryans told the media in the days before Week 7's Monday Night Football game, "JSN has done an outstanding job this year for Seattle. Darnold has found a nice target to throw to, and he's made that entire offense go. Whether you're covering him or not, he's making explosive plays game after game. He continues to show up. JSN, he's definitely having a Pro Bowl-caliber year. He's doing an outstanding job."
Of course, Ryans knows his team has the talent to give Smith-Njigba issues. The Texans are first in quarterback rating allowed (70.4), have allowed just three touchdown passes, but have five interceptions. All of that while not having to blitz very much.
If Jaxon Smith-Njigba does get another 100-yard receiving game, he will have proven that he is clearly one of the top three wide receivers in the league currently. General football fans might know that, but JSN also gets overshadowed a little by splashy rookies (Emeka Egbuka) or high-producing veterans.
While Seattle Seahawks fans understand how great JSN is and that he is trending toward a Pro Bowl season, if, for whatever reason, Smith-Njigba doesn't put up huge numbers against the stout Houston Texans defense, that doesn't mean Smith-Njigba isn't as good as he has shown in his first six games. It means that Houston's defense is good.
Or, maybe, in a late Monday night game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba forces all NFL fans to pay attention to him in primetime. He might just be the best player on the field. He has been for much of 2025 so far.