Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads NFL in receiving yards and TDs
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 717 receiving yards and 7 TDs through Week 7 of 2026.
His target share has jumped, raising questions about his value.
Background
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a Seattle Seahawks wide receiver taken 20th overall in the 2023 draft out of Ohio State, is in his fourth NFL season. With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett no longer alongside him, his share of Seattle's targets has climbed sharply, and a Seaside Joe column notes he has 48.8% of the team's receiving yards while three other receivers have combined for far fewer. The topic is trending because he leads the league in receiving yards and touchdowns and sits second in receptions, ahead of a Sunday night game against the Chiefs.
How it unfolded
- Oct 4, 2026Seahawks beat the LA Chargers 30-23; Smith-Njigba had 76 yards on 5 receptions.
- Oct 11, 2026Seattle lost to San Francisco 32-29; he had 102 yards on 5 receptions with 1 TD.
- Oct 15, 2026Seattle lost to Denver 17-14; he had 134 yards on 12 receptions.
- Oct 19, 2026The NFL on Prime account posted 'The top spot called. JSN answered,' drawing 16K likes.
- Oct 22, 2026His Yahoo Sports page listed 717 yards, 119.5 yards per game and 7 TDs for 2026, after 1,793 yards and 10 TDs in 2025.
- Oct 24, 2026A Seaside Joe column asked whether he is the most valuable receiver in history.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Seaside Joe notes his 48.8% share of Seattle's receiving yards and target shares of 35.8% in 2025 and 35.1% in 2026, well above Steve Largent's best seasons, and asks whether he is the most valuable receiver in history.
- Caution
- Commenter Paul Johnson sees a concerning similarity between Smith-Njigba and K9, saying he is not built to take punishment and played through an injury last week.
- Public
- Social media commenters call him the best in NFL history and say a receiving triple crown is on if quarterback Sam Darnold improves.
- Expert
- Commentator Colin Cowherd analyzed the Seahawks' decision to keep Smith-Njigba while letting other starters leave.
Still unverified
Seaside Joe raises as a question, not a fact, whether Smith-Njigba could be the most valuable receiver in franchise or NFL history for a Super Bowl contender; a commenter also says it is 'inevitable' that K9 will lose playing time to injury and that Smith-Njigba will be hit hard, while saying he is not promoting a dirty-hits conspiracy.