The Seattle Seahawks will be bringing in a new offensive coordinator under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald next season. And based on a recent interview, this might be a sigh of relief for Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
During a conversation with the CHGO Podcast at Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Smith-Njigba was asked about now-fired Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and had an unexpected and awkward reaction when trying to think of what to say.
Sitting alongside former Ohio State teammate and current New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave, there was some collective forced laughter.
The podcast host asked Smith-Njigba, "Bears fans are super interested about the offensive coordinator coming in, Shane Waldron, what can you tell them about who they just hired to try to get this offense where it needs to go?"
Smith-Njigba paused for a second and hesitated.
"Um ... this is live?" he asked.
"We're not live" one host said while laughing.
"I'm playing. Good luck to y'all," Smith-Njigba said to Bears fans. "He's a great person, great offensive coordinator. I was very lucky to have him my first year. Learned a lot from him. I think him and Justin (Fields) will mesh well."
Smith-Njigba didn't appear to be joking, as there was some clear awkward tension before he quickly started giving Waldron some basic compliments.
Take a look for yourself:
It's unclear what kind of possible disagreements - if any - there were behind the scenes between Waldron and JSN. Regardless, the rookie still managed to turn in a productive season even if he didn't see eye-to-eye with his coordinator.
Smith-Njigba posted 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. He played in all 17 games, catching at least one pass in each.
While he made some incredible grabs throughout the season, JSN's biggest highlight came from his pair of game-winning touchdowns in the final minute during home wins over the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seahawks have yet to name a new offensive coordinator under Macdonald, but if the new hire is able to bring out the best in Smith-Njibga, there's no telling what the star-in-the-making could do during his second season.
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