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By Anne Erickson
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The Seattle Seahawks have exciting young talent on both sides of the football, but if you're looking for the one non-quarterback they can least afford to see flop in 2026, it's Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
He's become the centerpiece of the offense. Obviously.
We're talking about a guy with a massive breakout season last year. Now, he's one of the NFL's elite receivers. Defenses no longer see him as an emerging star. They see him as the player they have to stop first.
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That's a different level of respect.
Smith-Njigba does everything an offense could want from a No. 1 receiver. He makes difficult catches look easy as pie and consistently turns short completions into big gains.
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When Smith-Njigba is on the field, defenses are forced to adjust their coverages. That creates opportunities for the rest of Seattle's playmakers and gives the offense far more flexibility than it would otherwise have.
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But, of course, it's not just him. There are certainly other players worthy of consideration. Leonard Williams remains one of the NFL's most disruptive defensive linemen, always making life difficult for opposing running backs. Players with that combination of size, power and athleticism don't come around very often.
Then there's Devon Witherspoon, who has quickly become one of the emotional leaders of Seattle's defense.
Still, Smith-Njigba is the player who raises the ceiling of the offense.
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Seattle has talented pieces throughout the roster, but very few players can take over a game the way he can. After putting together one of the best seasons by a receiver in franchise history, he's no longer just part of the Seahawks' future.
He's the player everything revolves around, making Smith-Njigba Seattle's most important non-quarterback entering the 2026 season.
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