Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t just put up numbers this season, they built one of the most efficient quarterback-receiver combinations in football. Their timing and trust became central to Seattle’s Super Bowl run, and now Darnold is explaining why throwing to Smith-Njigba feels familiar in a way that should catch the league’s attention.
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During his appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Darnold walked through the moment he realized Smith-Njigba was operating on a different level. He said the flashes were visible early.
“OTAs, he was always special, running around doing his thing,” Darnold explained, while also noting that in those settings receivers are usually going “about 80, 85 percent most of the time.”
The true confirmation came later in Los Angeles during offseason throwing sessions just before training camp. Darnold invited another quarterback to get extra work in, and the reaction was immediate. “He was like, ‘Dude, this guy is different.’”
What stood out was not a one-handed catch or a viral rep. It was how Smith-Njigba moved. Darnold focused on the mechanics that matter most to quarterbacks, saying, “The way that he moves around and the way that he gets in and out of cuts… he doesn’t cut the way that I feel like you teach a receiver.”
Instead of snapping sharply at hard angles, Smith-Njigba is “very kind of rounded off,” but the key detail, as Darnold emphasized, is that “he doesn’t lose speed in and out of cuts.”
That combination is rare. Most receivers either sink their hips violently and sacrifice momentum or glide through breaks and lose separation. Smith-Njigba manages to keep his pace through the transition, which allows the ball to come out on time.
That specific trait is what prompted Darnold to bring up Justin Jefferson. Having played alongside Jefferson earlier in his career, Darnold said he “got to witness firsthand” similar movement skills and added that “there’s a lot of similarities there with the way that they run routes.”
It was not a throwaway comparison. He tied it directly to how both players maintain speed while subtly manipulating leverage. For a quarterback, that means fewer hesitations and cleaner throwing windows. When a receiver stays on schedule through the break, the offense stays in rhythm.
Darnold also pointed to something that does not always show up in pre-draft reports. Smith-Njigba is “a lot stronger than people think,” he said, highlighting his “really strong lower body.”
That strength shows up once the ball is secured. He can make defenders miss, absorb contact, and finish through defensive backs who expect a finesse receiver. The physicality complements the route craft, and together they explain how Smith-Njigba produced like a true WR1 this season.
After leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards, catching 119 passes, scoring 10 touchdowns, and adding 199 yards and two scores in the postseason, Smith-Njigba has openly stated he believes he deserves to be the highest-paid receiver in football.
Production alone can drive an extension, but what ultimately moves a contract into the top tier is validation from the quarterback. When the player responsible for processing coverage and releasing the ball says your route traits resemble those of Justin Jefferson, that carries weight inside a building.
The comparison makes sense stylistically. Jefferson has long been praised for gliding through breaks without telegraphing his intentions, and Smith-Njigba wins in similar fashion. Neither relies purely on explosive cuts; both manipulate pace and leverage while maintaining speed. The result is consistent separation that feels predictable to the quarterback and unpredictable to the defender.
If Smith-Njigba wants his next deal to reflect the very top of the market, this is the kind of endorsement that strengthens the case. Darnold was not selling hype. He was describing timing, movement, and trust. For a receiver trying to prove he belongs in the same financial tier as the game’s elite, there may be no stronger argument than the quarterback saying the routes feel the same.
