Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has spent this season stringing together a streak of dazzling catches and record-setting statistics, making a case he’s the best receiver in the National Football League.
It goes beyond that, though, since so many times he has committed acts of outrageous athleticism that Seahawk fans may have never seen – creating memories while making history.
When a young athlete emerges in the early stages of what appears likely to turn into a historic career, analysts search for comparables among former greats to help define the youth’s potential.
Sources who can provide big-picture perspective and long-term possibilities are needed.
Steve Raible is perfect, having either played alongside every Seahawks receiver in history, or covered them – and every other elite receiver in the NFL – from the broadcast booth.
So, Steve, does Smith-Njigba remind you of anyone?
“Jerry Rice.”
Holy catfish, Raible, Jerry Rice?
Rice, of course, is recognized as the greatest receiver in the history of the National Football League. When sports historians rank the finest NFL players of all time, Rice is generally placed second behind only Browns running back Jim Brown.
“He’s as good as I’ve ever seen,” Raible said of Smith-Njigba. “I think he’s as good at the top of his route, getting in and out of the break, whether to the sidelines, to the post, to the corner, as anybody in the league. And he just doesn’t drop passes.”
Raible is a certified Football-Knower. A second-round pick in the Seahawks’ first draft (1976), he played six seasons for the Hawks and went immediately into the booth to add commentary to the play-by-play of the legendary Pete Gross. In 2004, he took over the play-by-play call, while also serving as an Emmy-winning television news anchor in Seattle.
And yes, he is well aware that his former teammate, Steve Largent, is and always will be considered the gold standard for Seahawk receivers.
Largent played 14 seasons, with seven Pro Bowls and a golden jacket from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“The first name that came to mind, in the franchise, was Steve,” Raible said, citing Largent’s great hands and discipline and route running, etc. “But the overarching first name was Jerry Rice. Rice was smooth in a different way, and he had those magnificent hands and knew how to set up defensive backs to get open. Jax does that as well as anybody.”
Real artistry is subjective. Like the rare ones, with his great functional quickness and magnetic hands, JSN makes the hard things look easy, and so often observers use the word “smooth” to describe his route-running.
So many times, Smith-Njigba sprints into openings against zones to become an easy target for quarterback Sam Darnold, making it look as simple as a game of backyard catch. And then he sometimes makes catches with the fingertips of a single hand while tip-toeing the sideline at full speed.
Raible said he and broadcast partner Dave Wyman both have noticed how JSN varies his speed to gain separation from defenders, sometimes slowing as the ball descends, and then surging and extending when the ball is about to arrive. Defenders are helpless to close that gap without interfering.
He also has the strength and an uncanny ability to almost always win that final yard of intense hand-parrying with a defensive back to keep his hands free for the catch.
None of us should be surprised by this. Do an internet search for Smith-Njigba highlights, and archives of spectacular JSN catches dating back to his high-school days in Texas will appear. Usually, they’re accompanied by comments like “he’s not human,” along with almost impossible statistics for catches and yardages.
Check out the recap of the January 2023 Rose Bowl when he led Ohio State to a win with 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns – all Rose Bowl records.
Think of how many great receivers have played in the Rose Bowl. None could match that output.
A hamstring injury his junior season at OSU probably helped the Seahawks get him with the 20th pick of the 2023 draft, the first wide receiver taken that year.
With 100 catches for 1,130 yards last season, JSN earned his first Pro Bowl honor.
The Seahawks’ trade of veteran DK Metcalf, along with the release of longtime Hawk Tyler Lockett, opened the way for the offense to focus on JSN, supplemented by the addition of vet Cooper Kupp and newly acquired Rashid Shaheed.
Now, with 96 catches for a Seahawks record of 1,541 yards, Smith-Njigba is within 423 yards of Calvin Johnson’s NFL season-record of 1,964 yards, with three games remaining.
JSN would have to average 141 yards a game the rest of the way, above his current average of 110.1 yards per game. Still, he stands a good chance to be the only first-team All-Pro receiver for the Seahawks since Largent earned his lone such honor in 1985.
Another remarkable point: Smith-Njigba is in his third season and still just 23 years old – the age Rice was as a rookie.
The Seahawks have had a series of excellent receivers, so many that have been somewhat overlooked. Darrell Jackson, Metcalf and Lockett, Joey Galloway and Bobby Engram. There’s been Brian Blades, pound-for-pound, as tough as a champion middleweight. And Doug Baldwin, the king of the get-off, who dodged media coverage with that blinding blend of jitterbug and Riverdance at the line of scrimmage.
And at the top always has been the Incomparable Steve Largent.
Finally, somebody else is showing the potential to enter that lofty discussion. Health and longevity will be determinants over time.
The final convincing assessment of Raible on Smith-Njigba: “I just think he’s the combination of every great receiver we’ve seen. He’s got a little bit of everything, and, in some cases, a lot of everything.”