It is fair to say that Jaxon-Smith Njigba’s contract extension is already reshaping the WR market, and his contempraries are already seeing some movement. The Seattle Seahawks on Monday agreed to a four-year, $168.8 million contract extension, with $120 million guaranteed with JSN, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. This comes after the 24-year-old set the team record for yards receiving (1,793) and receptions (119) in a single season. He won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award last season, and ultimately took the team to the Super Bowl, beating the New England Patriots in the finale.
Smith-Njigba’s new deal surpasses that of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who signed a $161 million extension with $112 million guaranteed last March.
Cowboys-Pickens situation changes
The ripple effects of JSN’s deal is already being felt in Dallas, where George Pickens’ contract situation has become more complicated. The WR had a standout debut season for the Cowboys – 93 catches, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. Now, he is line for a massive payday.
However, Dallas opted to place the franchise tag on him, locking him into a fully guaranteed $27.2 million deal for 2026 instead of negotiating a long-term extension early.
That delay could prove costly.
With the market now elevated, Pickens and his agent, David Mulugheta, have little incentive to rush negotiations. Each new deal only strengthens their leverage, especially if he eventually tests free agency.
According to Calvin Watkins, talks haven’t even begun.
“At this stage, George Pickens will play under the franchise tag of $27.2 million. The Cowboys and Pickens’ agent haven’t exchanged any contract offers to merit progress toward a new deal. Jerry Jones has offered that Pickens is happy to be a Cowboy, but hasn’t indicated if Pickens is cool with the franchise tag,” Watkins wrote. “There’s an expectation that Pickens and the Cowboys will go head-to-head this summer to get him into training camp on time. That’s a gamble.”
Rams stay patient with Puka Nacua
In Los Angeles, the Rams are taking a different route with Puka Nacua, despite being in the same draft class as Smith-Njigba.
Unlike Seattle, the Rams are not rushing into extension talks. General manager Les Snead made it clear that extensions are not an immediate priority.
“The timeline with those players… obviously we’ve chatted with them,” stated Snead. “A lot of times that’s been during the season or right after the season, not necessarily getting right to the nuts and bolts of the business side of it. As Sean mentioned the other day, we’ll take some time. Unlike Sean, I’ll try to recover and rejuvenate. Along the way, as you take time away from the grind a little bit, you’re going to work. We’ll be in conversations.”
He added: “We’ll have some macro level thoughts on how we want to go forward. I do think we naturally will tackle players whose contracts are expiring first. Then at that point in time, either try to bring them back or either communicate with them that it might be time to try different chapters. With that being said, you go through the draft.”
“Through the whole process with those type of players, we’re well aware that we have another year with them. We’re well aware that they’re very good players and we’d like to continue riding with those players into the future. Then we begin working through that with all of them.”
NFL insider Mike Garafolo suggested Nacua’s deal may not materialize until later in the offseason.
“My expectation, based on the conversations that I have had, is it’s a different situation with Puka and the Rams,” stated Garafolo. “A lot of young guys that they have to pay, and a lot of other business to conduct, as well. So the expectation on my end is that the Puka deal is going to take a while and to be further into the summer before we see something happen there.”
Another WR in the same class in Drake London.
