Jaxon Smith-Njigba facts for kids
.png)
Smith-Njigba in 2023
|
|||||||||
| No. 11 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 14, 2002 Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. |
||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Rockwall (Rockwall, Texas) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2020–2022) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (pronounced JIG-buh), often called JSN, is a talented American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL). Born on February 14, 2002, Jaxon showed great skill from a young age.
He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. There, he broke school records for catches in one game and receiving yards in a season. The Seattle Seahawks chose him as the 20th player in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
In his second year, Jaxon became a starting player. He gained 1,130 receiving yards and was chosen for the Pro Bowl. During the 2025 season, Jaxon set a new record for the Seahawks. He led the entire league with 1,793 receiving yards. This amazing performance earned him the Offensive Player of the Year award. He also helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX that same year!
Contents
Jaxon's Early Life and High School Football
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, on February 14, 2002. He grew up in Rockwall, Texas, and went to Rockwall High School. His dad, Maada, used to do sports workouts with Jaxon and his older brother, Canaan. These workouts helped them bond and often started very early in the morning!
Jaxon was an amazing football player in high school. In his junior year, he caught 97 passes for 1,828 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. This was the most in the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area! As a senior, he did even better. He caught 104 passes for 2,094 yards and scored 35 touchdowns.
Because of his incredible talent, Jaxon won the Landry Award and was named the Texas Gatorade Football Player of the Year. He was also chosen as a high school All-American by Sports Illustrated and USA Today. By the end of high school, Jaxon had an amazing 5,346 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns. Many top colleges wanted him to play for them, but he chose to go to Ohio State University.
College Football Journey at Ohio State
Jaxon started his college career at Ohio State University in 2020. As a freshman, he played in seven games. He quickly became a leader among the new players, catching 10 passes and scoring one touchdown.
In his second year, Jaxon became a starter. He played as a slot receiver for the Buckeyes. On November 6, 2021, he had an incredible game against Nebraska. He caught 15 passes, which was a new school record! He also gained 240 receiving yards and scored a touchdown.
Later that same season, Jaxon made history again in the 2022 Rose Bowl. He set a new record for receiving yards in a bowl game with 347 yards! He also tied his own record with 15 catches in that game. Jaxon finished the 2021 season with 1,606 receiving yards, setting a new single-season record for Ohio State.
In 2022, Jaxon played in only three games because of a hamstring injury. He then decided to enter the 2023 NFL draft early, skipping his final year of college.
Jaxon's Professional Football Career
Joining the Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. He was the 20th player picked overall!
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
196 lb (89 kg) |
30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.52 s | 1.65 s | 2.61 s | 3.93 s | 6.57 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Rookie Year: 2023 Season
In his first NFL game in 2023, Jaxon caught his first pass. Later that season, he scored his first touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. He also caught game-winning touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie, he played in all 17 games. He finished with 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns.
Breaking Records: 2024 Season
The 2024 season was a big one for Jaxon! In a game against the Los Angeles Rams, he had a career-best performance. He caught seven passes for 180 yards and scored two touchdowns. He ended the season with 100 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. His 100 catches tied a record for the Seahawks team! Jaxon was also selected for the Pro Bowl for the very first time.
Super Bowl Champion and Offensive Player of the Year: 2025 Season
The 2025 season was truly historic for Jaxon. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in October. He broke the Seahawks' record for most receiving yards in a single season. He finished the year leading the entire NFL with an amazing 1,793 receiving yards!
Jaxon helped the Seahawks reach Super Bowl LX. In the NFC Championship Game against the Rams, he had ten catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks won, sending them to their first NFC title game in eleven years!
After the season, Jaxon was chosen for the Pro Bowl again. He was also named a first-team All-Pro receiver. Most impressively, he won the 2025 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award! He became only the second Seahawk player ever to win this award. He then helped the Seahawks win their first Super Bowl, defeating the New England Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX. He had four catches for 27 yards in the Super Bowl.
2026 Season and New Contract
On March 20, 2026, the Seahawks decided to keep Jaxon for an extra year on his contract. Just three days later, on March 23, 2026, Jaxon and the Seahawks agreed on a huge new contract. It was a four-year deal worth $168 million! This made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
Career Statistics
NFL Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2023 | SEA | 17 | 3 | 93 | 63 | 628 | 10.0 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA | 17 | 16 | 137 | 100 | 1,130 | 11.3 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | SEA | 17 | 17 | 163 | 119 | 1,793 | 15.1 | 63 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| Career | 51 | 36 | 393 | 282 | 3,551 | 12.6 | 63 | 20 | 4 | 1 | |
NFL Postseason Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2025 | SEA | 3 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 199 | 11.7 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 199 | 11.7 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
College Stats
| Ohio State Buckeyes | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Receiving | Returning | ||||||||||||
| GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 49 | 4.9 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 95 | 1,606 | 16.9 | 9 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 0 | |||||
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | |||||
| Career | 23 | 16 | 110 | 1,698 | 15.4 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 6.5 | 0 | |||||
Jaxon's Personal Life
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a Christian. He has a mixed heritage, being half white and half Sierra Leonean. He proudly wears the flag of Sierra Leone on the back of his helmet. His grandparents on his father's side came from Sierra Leone.
When he was younger, Jaxon was known as "Jaxon Smith." He added "Njigba" to his last name in high school. This was to honor his grandfather, John, who passed away in 2014. John had changed his name to "Smith" when he moved to the United States in the 1970s to help him fit in.
Jaxon's older brother, Canaan Smith-Njigba, is also a professional athlete. He plays baseball.
See also
In Spanish: Jaxon Smith-Njigba para niños
