The Seattle Seahawks paid Jaxon Smith-Njigba like a receiver they planned to have around making big plays for the long haul.
One game into the 2026 season, new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is showing how broadly he interprets that job description.
Smith-Njigba lined up at left tackle on an unbalanced third-quarter formation during Seattle’s 13-10 season-opening win over the New England Patriots, according to The Athletic‘s breakdown of Fleury’s first regular-season game as a play caller.
The alignment came on a toss play with actual left tackle Charles Cross shifted across the formation and standing in the right slot, alongside tight ends AJ Barner and Eric Saubert. Smith-Njigba occupied the left tackle spot, and George Holani carried the ball for 4 yards.
The result itself was modest, but the formation was anything but.
“At the very least, these designs showcased Fleury’s creativity, especially in his first regular-season game as an offensive play caller,” The Athletic’s Andrew Destin wrote.
Seattle gave Smith-Njigba a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March with $120 million guaranteed, making him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver at the time.
Seahawks Show New Ways to Use Smith-Njigba
Fleury’s creativity with Smith-Njigba extended beyond the one eye-catching alignment.
The Athletic’s breakdown noted that Seattle put Smith-Njigba in the backfield twice. The Seahawks moved their skill players around enough to make defensive identification more complicated while keeping the basic structure of their offense relatively familiar.
Regardless of the alignments against New England, Smith-Njigba looked capable of carrying any billing, catching eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, as he provided the most consistent production in an offense that lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold after five plays.
And his versatility is vital while Darnold works back from a hip injury. Drew Lock replaced him and completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown in the comeback victory.
Seattle doesn’t need Smith-Njigba to block edge rushers like a traditional tackle. Using him as a interesting formation piece can help reveal a defense’s coverage, which lends to leverage and makes the star receiver harder to track before and after the snap.
Fleury also leaned more heavily on 21 personnel than Seattle did a season ago. The Seahawks used two backs, one tight end and two receivers on 27.1% of their Week 1 snaps, roughly twice their 2025 rate.
That switch hints that Seattle’s offense may hold similar principles without looking identical to the unit that won the Super Bowl.
Fleury Gives Seahawks Offense a Wrinkle
Mike Macdonald acknowledged after the opener that the offense still has plenty to clean up. Seattle scored only 13 points and committed 10 penalties, leaving obvious room for improvement before its Sept. 20 road game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Still, Macdonald came away encouraged by the physical performance of the offensive line and tight ends. The Seahawks ran well enough to support Lock and survived an uneven night after losing Darnold very quickly.
The opener reinforced his Smith-Njigba’s status as the main feature of Seattle’s offense.
His contract already says that financially.
His Week 1 production backed it up on the field.
Fleury’s willingness to line him up in places normally reserved for running backs — and, for one snap, a 300-pound offensive tackle — suggests Seattle intends to squeeze even more value from its $168.6 million star.
The left tackle alignment may never become a weekly staple. As an early peep into Fleury’s playbook, however, it delivered the message that defenses should prepare to find Smith-Njigba everywhere.
Seahawks Put WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Intriguing Alignment vs. Patriots