Jaxon Smith-Njigba is back on the practice field in Renton, and the Super Bowl ring hasn’t slowed him down one bit. The Seattle Seahawks receiver is running routes at full speed at 2026 training camp, just months removed from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and the NFL’s official account made sure fans noticed. The league posted photos of Smith-Njigba smiling on the sideline and sprinting with the ball, captioned “back campin’ fresh off a Super Bowl,” on July 27.
That’s the mood in Seattle right now. Good problem to have. The Seahawks are the reigning champs, and their best receiver isn’t treating camp like a victory lap.
.@jaxon_smith1 back campin’ fresh off a Super Bowl 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/t6Aosda88O
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
A New Season, A Different Mentality
Smith-Njigba reported to camp with the rest of the Seahawks on July 25 in Renton, Washington, and the message from the locker room was consistent: last year is last year. According to NBC Sports, head coach Mike Macdonald has spent the offseason pushing players to “run it forward” instead of running it back, and Smith-Njigba echoed that thinking when he spoke to reporters.
“It feels like a revamp, a new energy in the building, honestly,” Smith-Njigba said, via the team’s website. “It feels good to put the past behind us and really focus on the future.”
Linebacker Ernest Jones delivered a similar message to teammates, reminding them that last year’s wins “won’t help you this year,” per NBC Sports. It’s a deliberate approach from a team that knows exactly how hard repeating a Super Bowl run actually is — no NFC West team has done it back-to-back in the modern era, and Seattle opens the season by raising a championship banner before a rematch with the Patriots, the exact team it beat in Super Bowl LX.
Coming Off a Historic Season
There’s a reason Smith-Njigba is the face of Seattle’s offense heading into camp. He caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025, a season that earned him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors and the league lead in receiving yards. He backed it up on the biggest stage, too, catching three passes for 24 yards in the Super Bowl before briefly exiting for a concussion evaluation. He returned in the fourth quarter as Seattle closed out a 29-7 win.
The Seahawks didn’t wait to reward that production. Smith-Njigba signed a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March that made him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver at signing, with a new-money average of $42.15 million per year, according to ESPN. The deal locks him into Seattle’s offense as its long-term cornerstone, and general manager John Schneider didn’t hide how the front office views him. “Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a generational talent, and we’re thrilled to have him as the centerpiece of our offense for years to come,” Schneider said, per the team’s official site.
| Category | 2025 Stat |
|---|---|
| Receptions | 119 |
| Receiving Yards | 1,793 |
| Touchdowns | 10 |
| Award | NFL Offensive Player of the Year |
What’s Next for Seattle’s Roster
Smith-Njigba isn’t the only story unfolding in Renton this month. The Seahawks are also deep in negotiations with cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who’s angling to become the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position. Reports have pegged that potential deal in the $30-32 million-per-year range. Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon share the same agency, Win Sports Group, and Seattle has shown a clear pattern this offseason of locking down its homegrown stars rather than letting the market pull them elsewhere.
For now, though, the attention in Renton is squarely on the field. Smith-Njigba is running full routes, catching passes from Sam Darnold, and by every account, embracing the grind that comes after winning it all. The Seahawks kick off the 2026 regular season on September 9 in Seattle, and if camp is any indication, their best player isn’t satisfied with one ring.
