In his first Pro Bowl, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba made a mistake. He was tasked with throwing a pass after a snap from Baker Mayfield (Mayfield was playing center, but is paid a lot of money to be a QB in the NFL), but the throw was easily picked off by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and returned for a touchdown.
JSN's team still won the "game" 76-63, so the pick-six did not ultimately cost his team, but a social media post Smith-Njigba made after the game might not prove to be true. He jokingly tweeted he was "retiring," but then quickly followed that up with "from trying to play QB." He might not be a full-time quarterback during his career, but he still might be asked to throw passes in games.
To be fair, JSN can throw fairly well. He has an easy motion, throws a tight spiral, and can throw for distance. His Pro Bowl pass might have been intercepted, but then it was obvious he was going to throw because alignments are completely different in the Pro Bowl Games. There is no offensive line, and running the ball would be pointless and inefficient.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba's retirement announcement is very premature
But the wide receiver proved he could do some damage in a real game this season when, in Week 7, Geno Smith threw a backward pass to JSN in the flat, who then turned and threw 30 yards down the field for a first down to DK Metcalf. Was the pass one of perfect precision? No. But Smith-Njigba also threw the ball where no one else had a chance to catch it besides his fellow receiver.
That kind of play, because of JSN's ability to throw cleanly, will almost certainly happen again. Not every game, of course, because then a team would be planning on that happening and that would affect the potential productivity of the play. But once a season? That is certainly a possibility.
From trying to play QB 🤣😒
— JSN (@jaxon_smith1) February 2, 2025
And Seattle should use the receiver to give defenses something to think about. He would definitely be in a different situation than in the Pro Bowl (Geno Smith is not going to snap him the ball), and that would make his throws more effective.
To be clear, JSN might only have one pass a season or less on average in his career. He is never going to be a full-time quarterback. But his career as a "quarterback" is not over whether he has announced his retirement or not.