He’s on pace to set the NFL record for receiving yards in a single season, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba can thank Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for making a “dramatic” change to spark the wide receiver’s breakout in 2025.
It’s a change outlined by The Ringer’s Danny Kelly, who thinks “it would almost be insulting to call what Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is doing this year a breakout. No, he’s blasted off. He’s ascended to a higher football plane.”
That’s lofty praise, but Kelly believes Smith-Njigba is producing at a rate to justify those words. His production has been made possible by Kubiak replacing former play-caller Ryan Grubb, a move credited to the bravery of head coach Mike Macdonald.
Kubiak changed Smith-Njigba’s role for the better, a change Kelly described “as dramatic a role shift as any receiver has seen this year.”
Klint Kubiak Changed Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the Better
It’s not as if Smith-Njigba didn’t put up excellent numbers in Grubb’s system during the 2023 season. The former Ohio State star “broke out to lead the Hawks with 100 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. But even then, JSN was primarily lined up in the slot, where he ran 74 percent of his routes.” according to Kelly.
Kubiak has moved Smith-Njigba, making it so football’s most prolific receiver “has run 81 percent of his routes from the outside” this season. Smith-Njigba has been kept out of his familiar territory at a league-leading rate.
Kelly referenced a post from Chris Wecht of Fantasy Points Data revealing “Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s slot rate has dropped 68% from 2024 to 2025 The next closet drop is Davante Adams who has dropped 34%.”
Being used the same way six-time Pro Bowler Adams is deployed by the Los Angeles Rams is probably an uncomfortable benchmark for Smith-Nijgba. Fortunately for the Seahawks, JSN is comfortably outperforming the comparison.
Kelly noted Smith-Nijgba “hasn’t just been good from the outside; he’s been incredible. Among the 85 receivers with 150-plus routes run this season, he ranks first in Fantasy Points’ separation score (0.22), first in route win rate (25.1 percent), and first in yards per route run (5.23) when deployed on the outside.”
Smith-Njiba still beating coverage outside the numbers is hardly surprising. He’s a quick-twitch mover out of his breaks who makes some of the more subtle route adjustments seen at his position.
Those things have always been core parts of Smith-Njigba’s skill-set, but the 20th player selected in the 2023 NFL draft has added another devastating dimension to his game.
Seahawks Have Unlocked Their Deep Passing Game
Grubb’s pass attack mustered a mere four completions of 40-plus yards last season, but Kubiak’s unit leads the league with nine such completions this year. Smith-Njigba’s emergence as a legitimate vertical playmaker is a big reason for the success.
Kelly quoted numbers from Pro Football Focus that show Smith-Njigba “leads the NFL in receptions of 20-plus air yards (12), per PFF, and in deep-ball yards (454), with two scores on those plays. He’s won a league-high five of seven contested catch opportunities deep down the field.”
Stats like these reveal how quickly Smith-Njigba has adjusted his game to the strengths of veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. The latter took the reins from Geno Smith in the offseason, and Darnold has always had the arm talent to stretch the field.
He’s needed a viable deep target to aim for, “and Darnold’s NFL passer rating when targeting Smith-Njigba on passes of 20-plus yards is a nearly perfect 156.3,” per Kelly.
This 43-yard touchdown grab against the Arizona Cardinals from Week 10 is the perfect example of the Darnold and Smith-Njigba connection at work.
Plays like this one highlight Smith-Njigba’s maturation from an inside receiver who thrived in intermediate areas, into a true big-play specialist. Kubiak drew up the change, Darnold is putting it into practice, and Smith-Njigba is responding by changing the Seahawks’ passing game.
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