Seattle Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 'Great Spot,' Says QB Geno Smith

“I think Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) is in a great spot," Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 1, 2023

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Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is getting adjusted to life in the NFL.

Smith-Njigba, the No. 20 overall pick in April's NFL Draft, has struggled to start his career, managing just nine catches for 57 yards through three weeks. Despite his slow start, quarterback Geno Smith is pleased with the rookie's progress.

“I think Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) is in a great spot," Smith said. "If you look at when Ken (Walker III) took off last year, it was like Week 5 or something like that. You think about our offense and the new guys that we’re incorporating into the offense; it’s going to take some time. This is our third game, fourth game, playing together. We’re still figuring each other out, and it’s going to take some time."

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Smith-Njigba and Smith are still building chemistry with each other. The former also dealt with a wrist injury during training camp, which only added to the challenges for the rookie. However, his quarterback has faith that things will work out with patience.

"I don’t think he needs to overthink it, I don’t think anyone needs to overthink it," Smith said. "He’s a great player, he’s a great player on this offense, he’s going to make a ton of plays for us, and it just hasn’t happened quite yet. That’s nothing to worry about. We still have time to figure those things out and that’s what we’re doing.”

Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks face off against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m.

Published Oct 1, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.