How Seahawks' Sam Darnold motivates Jaxon Smith-Njigba amid career-best season for WR

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba could ultimately win the Offensive Player of the Year Award over Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, depending on how those clubs finish the ongoing regular season. 

Smith-Njigba, talking to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, touched upon how his working relationship with quarterback Sam Darnold resulted in the 23-year-old wideout producing the best season, to date, of his career. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba credits Sam Darnold for growth in third pro season

"Just a bunch of reps, and honestly, the open line of communication started early," Smith-Njigba said about the Seahawks' signing of Darnold in March. "When we didn’t connect on a play, Sam always took the lead and said, 'Hey, I can get better here.' That just motivates me to elevate my game because he’s always on a continuous track to elevate his game. He’s a really smart player, understands, 'Hey, I can be better here.' So he says all the right things a receiver will want to hear from his QB, and I just want to back him up and be there for him. That connection started months ago."

Smith-Njigba's comments may help explain why teammates were so quick to defend Darnold after the signal-caller tossed four interceptions in Seattle's 21-19 Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, hiring Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator has proven to be yet another tremendous offseason move made by the Seahawks. 

Kubiak was Darnold's passing game coordinator when the 28-year-old spent the 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers.

What Jaxon Smith-Njigba loves about Seahawks' offense under Klint Kubiak

"This is an offense that goes way back, just playing old school football," Smith-Njigba said. "For defenses to respect all parts of the field, it leaves me one-on-one, whether that’s with the corner or the safety. I would say them knowing my skill set and just building around that, just giving me more opportunities, the more opportunities I get, the more I make plays. Klint’s been very proactive in wanting to get me the ball and proactive in creating new ways to get me the ball."

ESPN stats show that Smith-Njigba heads into Thanksgiving leading the NFL with 1,313 receiving yards on the season. He's tied for second in the league with 80 receptions and tied for fourth with seven touchdown catches. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Taylor as the betting favorite at -135 odds to claim the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Smith-Njigba was second on the list at +105 odds. 

Smith-Njigba will look to add to his resume when the 8-3 Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings (4-7) on Sunday.