The Seattle Seahawks did not just reward production when they handed Jaxon Smith-Njigba a record four-year, $168.6 million extension. According to Colin Cowherd, they paid for something NFL teams value just as much as elite numbers.

Smith-Njigba earned the deal after a Super Bowl-winning season in which he led the league with 1,793 receiving yards. He is now the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. Cowherd argued the overlooked factor was professionalism, not just talent.

“Talent alone in pro sports absolutely has a ceiling,” he said on ‘The Herd,’ today. “No drama, no big ego. He is what every CEO is seeking. He is what every GM is seeking. He gets along with teammates, quarterbacks, coaches, coordinators. He never steps in it.”

Cowherd summed it up by saying, “Ego and drama always punctures talent… This is a prime example why Seattle had to make big decisions, and where do they set the record with JSN, you think it’s just talent. It’s not just talent. No babysitting him, no drama. He cares about the right stuff. He carries himself like a professional…”

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This was not only about rewarding a superstar season. The Seahawks are betting massive money on a proven playmaker who, in Cowherd’s eyes, carries himself like a franchise cornerstone.

Also read: Top 10 highest-paid NFL WRs in 2026 after Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s blockbuster $168,600,000 Seahawks contract

Also read: “Holy overpay” “10x better than Puka Nacua”: NFL fans react to Jaxon Smith-Njigba signing record breaking $168.6M deal with Seahawks

Colin Cowherd uses Jaxon Smith-Njigba to warn Puka Nacua

In the same segment, Cowherd had a piece of advice, masked in the form of a warning for Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. He said,

“Many young athletes get terrible advice. JSN, huge talent, no drama. It’s like Amon-Ra St. Brown, you don’t have to worry about him. You don’t have to babysit him. He’s a grown-up. Puka Nacua, by the way, is great, but he has stepped in it multiple times with the Rams.”

“The Rams are going to take a wide receiver, I believe, early in this draft, just in case he steps in it again… And I love Puka, and so do the Rams. Maybe he should stream less…”

Nacua also had a monster season with Rams (1,715 yards) and fell just short of eclipsing Jaxon Smith-Njigba for most receiving yards in the 2025 NFL season.