Jaxon Smith-Njigba Is Tracking Toward a Historic Receiving Season

Smith-Njigba’s 64 catches, 985 yards and nine touchdowns through eight games put him on a pace of 2,093 receiving yards over a 17-game season. He gained 118 yards on six catches against the Bears on Monday night, giving him more than 100 yards in seven of his first eight games. His average is 123.2 yards per game.

Calvin Johnson holds the single-season record with 1,964 yards, set in 2012. Smith-Njigba came close to the same milestone last season: he had 948 yards through eight games and finished with 1,793, earning Offensive Player of the Year. Other receivers have also started at a record pace and fallen short. Adam Thielen had 1,027 yards through eight games in 2018 but ended with 1,373; Tyreek Hill had 1,014 through eight games in 2023 and finished with 1,799.

Smith-Njigba’s next four opponents are the Cardinals, Raiders, 49ers and Cowboys. He had 155 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona earlier this season, and 102 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco. The Seahawks face the Rams twice in their final three games, a tougher test: the Rams rank fourth in the supplied pass-defense measures and have added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Smith-Njigba had at least 96 yards in each of his three games against the Rams last season.