{
  "id": 9490523,
  "title": "Seahawks Star Jaxon Smith-Njigba Sends Blunt Message to Critics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/seahawks-star-jaxon-smith-njigba-sends-blunt-message-to-critics",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T04:40:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/seahawks-star-jaxon-smith-njigba-044037290.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Glendale, Arizona - September 20, 2026 - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba recently released a YouTube video titled \"The Journey Is Everything,\" where he directly addresses the criticism he faced about his potential to become a top NFL receiver. In the video, Smith-Njigba's trainer, Jonathan Jones, and others express skepticism about his ability to be a No. 1 option. However, Smith-Njigba's performance statistics tell a different story. In 2025, he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning first-team All-Pro honors and AP Offensive Player of the Year. Critics claimed Smith-Njigba lacked the speed to be a vertical threat, but he responded on the field. His reception yardage increased significantly from 10.0 yards per reception as a rookie to 15.1 in 2025, with multiple 40+ yard catches. Smith-Njigba emphasizes that his success is about hard work, not proving critics wrong, but rather living up to his own belief system. As his career progresses, the deep-threat question about his ability to be Seattle's top receiver is becoming less relevant.",
  "summary": "Jaxon Smith-Njigba revisited the criticism that followed him into the NFL, including doubts about whether the Seahawks star could become a true No. 1 receiver. The post Seahawks Star Jaxon Smith-Njigba Sends Blunt Message to Critics appeared first on HEAVY.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}