One has to remember that the offseason can be a fun one for players to banter with others from a different team. The San Francisco 49ers' Deommodore Lenoir has certainly targeted Seattle Seahawks wide receivers in the past, and one, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, has pushed back with humor.
This was the case recently, as part of a UFC promotion, when JSN was asked which cornerback he might like to face in the Octagon. The receiver first answered that he wouldn't want to take on Devon Witherspoon, his fellow Seattle teammate, and said the corner was a "wild guy."
Smith-Njigba followed up with, "There’s a couple guys out there. Anyone from the LA Rams or the San Francisco 49ers, I’d happily get in the ring with."
Seattle Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba keeps his sense of humor about the Rams and 49ers defensive backs
Of course, no team is going to allow rival players to get into a fight where one might be seriously hurt. That would bring too much risk for the player and team. One does wonder how well JSN would do, though. He might not be the biggest player, but he has great leg strength that might give him a chance to bring someone down easily and pin them.
If nothing else, the moment showed the excellence and naturalness of the Seahawks wide receiver's sense of humor. He is a fairly low-key person off the field, intelligent, and quick to smile. This is one reason fans like him so much, as well as his elite production.
The Rams and 49ers defensive backs, which JSN didn't mention specifically by name, of course, would obviously like to provide their pushback to what the receiver said, and hopefully the situation doesn't boil over into situations during games in 2026 (which isn't likely), but what LA and San Francisco clearly struggle to do is slow Seattle's wideout in games.
Los Angeles has addressed its cornerback group this offseason by trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson in free agency. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had at least 96 receiving yards in each of his three games against the Rams this past season, including 153 in the NFC Championship game.
JSN didn't need to produce much against the 49ers in the playoffs, as the Seattle Seahawks dominated the game literally from the opening kickoff. The two other times the teams faced one another, the receiver had at least 84 yards receiving.
Hopefully, Smith-Njigba and any Rams or 49ers cornerbacks will never face each other in the UFC Octagon. On the other hand, hopefully the receiver will continue to dominate his NFC West rivals in football games.