Jaxon Smith-Njigba already proved he could punish NFL defenses. Now the Seattle Seahawks appear to be preparing for how those defenses will try to stop him.
Smith-Njigba indicated after Seahawks training camp practice on August 12 that Seattle has more coming for him after deliberately keeping its offense relatively basic early in camp. New routes, different alignments and more creativity could all become part of the equation as offensive coordinator Brian Fleury searches for “answers” to whatever opponents throw at the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
“We’re going to continue to grow in the space of, you know, putting plays down and routes,” Smith-Njigba said. “I think right now it’s been kind of basic. Just want to get the fundamentals and basics of our offense down.”
Then came the intriguing part.
“As we progress through camp, you see a little bit more,” Smith-Njigba continued. “And I’m excited about — I’m excited to, you know, run new routes, be creative and brainstorm with, you know, the great offensive minds that we have.”
Asked whether that evolution is essentially an answer to defenses studying what Seattle did last season, Smith-Njigba left little ambiguity.
“Yeah, 1000%,” he said. “You know, just having answers is key to being successful in this league. So, just making sure we have answers for any look we might get.”
For a player coming off 1,793 receiving yards, those answers could become one of Seattle’s most important offensive developments of 2026.
Seahawks Have Already Transformed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Role
Standing still would be an unusual choice considering how dramatically Smith-Njigba has already evolved.
He finished the 2025 regular season with 119 receptions for an NFL-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He went on to win AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year after helping Seattle reach and win Super Bowl LX.
But the transformation was about more than volume.
Smith-Njigba entered the NFL with the reputation of being primarily a slot receiver. During his first two seasons, he lined up in the slot on 75.6% of his routes, according to NFL Next Gen Stats data published by the Seahawks.
By Week 7 of 2025, that tendency had essentially flipped. Seattle reported that Smith-Njigba had lined up outside on 77.8% of his routes that season.
Now another layer could be coming.
Smith-Njigba confirmed on August 12 that last season was also the most he had ever run routes out of the backfield. He explained that his history in the slot helped make the adjustment natural.
“Find the zone, understand who’s really guarding you in that zone,” Smith-Njigba said. “And, you know, you can take advantage of the defense having linebackers, safeties, nickels, you know, guarding you.”
Moving Smith-Njigba around can therefore do more than make a formation look different. It can force a defense to decide who actually has to cover the NFL’s reigning receiving-yardage leader.
That is where Fleury has options.
Brian Fleury Can Make Defenses Find JSN Before They Stop Him
Fleury did not inherit an offense in need of a total rebuild.
The Seahawks retained most of the offensive staff and nearly every offensive starter from their Super Bowl team, while Fleury came from a similar Kyle Shanahan coaching tree to former coordinator Klint Kubiak. Seattle described the transition this summer as maintaining much of the foundation while adding enough new material to challenge players.
Smith-Njigba’s comments suggest some of those additions may become more visible as Seattle moves closer to the regular season.
And Fleury has more than one way to create favorable pictures around his star receiver.
Smith-Njigba said Rashid Shaheed’s speed can make passing windows open faster. He mentioned a similar dynamic with Tory Horton. When Smith-Njigba lines up next to Cooper Kupp, however, he said the two can play something resembling basketball.
“When I’m next to Kupp, you know, we’re playing kind of like a pick and roll kind of thing,” Smith-Njigba said, explaining that he has to become more patient and understand what the defense is trying to do.
That versatility matters because Smith-Njigba is no longer a player opponents can treat as just another part of Seattle’s passing attack.
After 119 catches and 1,793 yards, he is a problem defenses can spend an entire week trying to solve.
Seattle’s response appears to be making the problem harder to define.
The Seahawks can put Smith-Njigba outside. They can return him to the slot. They can release him from the backfield. They can surround him with Shaheed’s speed or pair him with Kupp and force defenders to sort through traffic and leverage.
Smith-Njigba already showed what happens when defenses fail to contain him.
His comments from training camp suggest Seattle is now preparing for what happens when they try something different.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Hints Seahawks Have New ‘Answers’ for NFL Defenses