RENTON, Wash. — As Jaxon Smith-Njigba sat at a table at the VMAC Wednesday flanked by Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider, he several times looked in the direction of his father, Maada, sitting in the audience.

Smith-Njigba, there to discuss a new contract that will make him the highest-paid player in team history, recalled that it was with his father that the dream began.

“Hard work,” Smith-Njigba said of what he learned from his father, who played linebacker at Stephen F. Austin University. “Just seeing him, anything that I wanted, I saw him get up early for us to go get that and for us to have. He’s been training, throwing footballs at me since I was three years old. I mean, he is the reason I’m here today, just the leader and how strong he is physically and mentally, for us to live out our dreams.”

His mother, Jami, was also there for every step, as was his older brother, Canaan — a baseball player who appeared in 18 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2022-23 seasons and who also attended Wednesday’s news conference.

There was his senior year at Rockwall (Texas) High when he won state honors as 6A Player of the Year scoring 35 touchdowns as a senior.

There was his sophomore season at Ohio State when he set school records with 95 receptions for 1,606 yards, capped by a record 347-yard performance in the Rose Bowl.

There was the April day in 2023 when he was taken 20th overall by the Seahawks with their second of two first-round picks, the other used to select cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall.

“It took forever,” Schneider recalled of the wait to get the chance to take Smith-Njigba. “… it literally felt like three hours or something. Changed my shirt a couple times.”

There was the 2024 season when he tied Tyler Lockett’s team record with 100 receptions.

There was his breakout 2025 season when he bettered that with 119 receptions while also setting a team record with 1,793 yards to lead the NFL, win Offensive Player of the Year honors and help Seattle capture the second Super Bowl in franchise history.

Now, here was Wednesday when Smith-Njigba officially signed a four-year extension that will pay him up to $168.8 million in new money, an average of $42.15 million.

That tops the previous team record per-year average of $35 million set by Russell Wilson in 2019 and is the highest for a receiver and nonquarterback in NFL history, surpassing the previous mark of Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase (who signed a $40.25 million per year deal a year ago).

The deal keeps him under contract with the Seahawks until 2031. Combined with the 2026 and 2027 seasons for which he was already under contract, it means he can make almost $196 million over the next six seasons. The contract includes $69.1 million fully guaranteed at signing.

“It is a blessing,” Smith-Njigba said. “This is a business. I want to do good business. And that’s where we’re at right now.”

But in that same answer he also stressed that there is still more to do even if at the ripe young age of 24 — his birthday was Feb. 14 — he has already carved out an NFL career that would be the envy of almost all who’ve ever tried to play football.

“For me, it’s always more work to be done,” he said. “There’s always another level to reach.”

And what is that level?

“The only thing better than one Super Bowl is two,” Smith-Njigba said. “So just working to get there. Whatever my team needs from me, I make sure I get it done.”

Those words reflect an attitude that Schneider said made the team feel comfortable in handing Smith-Njigba a record-setting deal.

“When you go to ownership and you ask for an investment like this, you always have to be cognizant of who the person is,’’ Schneider said.

Seattle not only signing Smith-Njigba to a deal that will reset the receiver market but also getting it done quickly said all that was needed about what kind of person the Seahawks think he is.

It was known Seattle wanted to sign Smith-Njigba to an extension this offseason, as it also hopes to do with Witherspoon. But such deals often don’t get done until deep into summer, if not into training camp.

This one happened so quickly there hadn’t even been reports yet of specific negotiations until it was announced that it was done. Schneider cited the relationship he has with Smith-Njigba’s agent — longtime NFL agent Joel Segal — as a factor but also noted there really wasn’t much doubt as to JSN’s value.

“We were able to just keep things in-house, keep it respectful,” Schneider said. “When you’re on the higher end of these deals, that are actually — I don’t want to say they’re easier, but everybody recognizes Jax’s talent and his work ethic.”

Schneider also said team chair Jody Allen didn’t bat an eye even though she recently announced the team is for sale.

“There’s another world out there that is coming,” Schneider said of the impending sale. “We’re getting ready for it. As of right now, we just keep ripping like we always have.”

While Smith-Njigba had made clear he wanted to make a good business deal — having said in an interview with WFAA TV in Dallas last month that he felt he deserved to be the highest-paid receiver in the league — he also wanted to stay in Seattle for the long term.

“It’s a beautiful thing where God puts you in a place to succeed, and this is home for me,” Smith-Njigba said. “For me to be extended here for a few more years, I’m just excited and blessed and I understand where my feet are and understand the opportunity that’s at stake, and just like always, I’m ready to attack ... There’s not enough words to show my excitement and show my love for the city and this organization, but you’ll see it on Sunday.”

Macdonald likewise spoke of “how excited” he was to see the team lock up Smith-Njigba into the next decade.

“He’s going to be here and he’s a foundational piece, he’s a cornerstone of our team,” Macdonald said. “Just being able to see his growth over the two years that we’ve been here. I mean, the sky’s the limit.“

Macdonald and Schneider each said almost the minute that the Super Bowl ended that their goal was to keep as much of the roster that won that game intact.

As of Wednesday, all but five players who saw action in that game could return in 2026.

Also critical was assuring that the team will enter the offseason with as few questions about the future of its big names as possible. Getting Smith-Njigba done was one piece. Witherspoon will be the next.

“Obviously, we want to keep as many guys as we possibly can,” Schneider said adding that now “we’re going to dive in even more to the guys that are still on our team.”

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