Jaxon Smith-Njigba Among Seahawks Chasing Milestones in Season Finale

The Seahawks won't shy away from helping players hit individual records on Sunday, as long as those measures fit with the team's goal of winning in Los Angeles.

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is tackled by New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II (30) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Over the course of his nine NFL seasons, Tyler Lockett has gradually climbed the ladder in the Seattle Seahawks record books in a number of categories, including leapfrogging Brian Blades for the second most receptions in franchise history in 2023.

Now in the latter stages of his career, Lockett has seen his individual production dip substantially this season as the clear No. 3 target for Geno Smith, in part due to the emergence of rising star Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Interestingly, leading the team in all three major receiving statistics, the second-year receiver has a chance to break one of his veteran mentor's most notable achievements in Sunday's finale against the Rams, needing just five catches to set a new single-season franchise record.

Having watched Smith-Njigba's breakout sophomore campaign with a front row seat on the sideline, it hasn't been difficult for coach Mike Macdonald to see where Lockett's influence has helped him transcend his game thriving against the best of the best.

"Jaxon is doing a lot of things that Lock has done throughout his career," Macdonald told reporters on Wednesday. "Lock [Tyler Lockett] has a style that he's kind of done everything. He's attacked the deep field; worked the intermediate windows; won versus man; catch and run stuff. I mean, really how he got his hay and career start, even early in the return game. So he can really mentor anybody. If Tyler Lockett was in my room I would be pretty psyched about that."

Gearing up for Sunday's finale at SoFi Stadium, Smith-Njigba should like his odds of surpassing Lockett's 100-catch season from 2020, as he has caught at least five passes in 10 of Seattle's previous 16 games.

But Smith-Njigba also still has an outside, albeit unlikely, shot at taking another one of the Seahawks single-season receiving records from a teammate. Currently with 1,121 receiving yards, if he can produce 183 yards or more on Sunday, he will break DK Metcalf's franchise record of 1,304 yards, which was also set in 2020.

While breaking that record may seem improbable, Smith-Njigba did have 180 receiving yards in a game earlier this season, ironically setting that career-high against the Rams in Week 9. With the NFC West champs playing backups after clinching a playoff spot last week, he may be primed for a massive game to potentially push for that mark.

Away from Smith-Njigba, even if there isn't a playoff spot to fight for now, several other Seahawks have important milestones within reach to play for in the finale, including defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

Playing at an All-Pro level in his first full season in Seattle, Williams only needs one sack on reserve quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to reach double digits, a mark that a defensive lineman hasn't reached in the Pacific Northwest since Frank Clark and Jarran Reed achieved it together in 2018. Three sacks would give him a new career-high, as would five quarterback hits, after already setting a new personal best with 15 tackles for loss.

"He's a leader on our football team. I think he's really grown in that role throughout the year," Macdonald said of Williams, lauding him for his rare disruptive ability as an interior defensive lineman. "He's really embraced it, taken on that as a challenge as well, as well as stepping his game to another level. I just think when you get to know him, I mean, he's a guy that loves his teammates and works incredibly hard and has a great attitude every day. He's an easy guy to follow."

Williams isn't the only Seahawks defender with a viable shot at hitting double digit sacks either. Second-year outside linebacker Derick Hall already has a career-best eight sacks and with a pair of them on Sunday, he would become the first edge rusher since Clark to achieve that feat, which would provide quite the momentum boost for him heading into the offseason.

At the receiver position, Metcalf also can continue to etch his name in the NFL record books. With a touchdown catch on Sunday, he'd join Hall of Famer Randy Moss as only the second receiver ever to hit 50 receptions, 900 yards, and five touchdowns in each of his first six seasons. A touchdown reception would also pass Darrell Jackson for fourth in franchise history.

Additionally, coupled with a trio of contract escalators that could net him up to $6 million per his contract, Smith can break a couple of his own franchise records on Sunday as well. If he can stay above a 70 percent completion rate, he will be just the 19th quarterback ever to do that for a single season, while 186 passing yards would break his own single season record that he established back in 2022.

First and foremost, Macdonald wants to notch a 10th win this weekend, something the Seahawks haven't done since 2020 when they last won the NFC West. Team accomplishments remain ahead of individual accomplishments as he looks to build a foundation for future contention.

But at the same time, individual accolades will help achieve that goal for Seattle, and Macdonald understands what is at stake for several players from a contractual perspective. Whether it's getting Smith-Njigba schemed targets or using stunts hoping to free Williams and Hall for sack opportunities, as long as those strategies don't take away from the focus of winning to close out the season, he's game for pursuing those marks to produce team goals.

"There is financial things involved with it, which you want your guys to hit those numbers. If it's within your power, you're going to try to make that come to life; create as many opportunities for those guys as possible all within the lens of what's best for the team and trying to win. Might have a couple ongoing jokes with a couple of the guys on some of those things. They're going to be great. They're approaching it the right way, but, yeah, you're working together with that. That's definitely something you want to help the guys with."

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