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The bar has been set for the Los Angeles Rams and Puka Nacua.
On Monday morning, the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million extension with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with an average salary of $42.15 million.
It’s a contract that’s not only relevant to the Rams because of the NFC West connection, but particularly for their upcoming negotiations with Nacua. Like Smith-Njigba, Nacua is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason as a former 2023 draft pick.
The Rams have every intention of extending their star receiver, just as the Seahawks did with their own, and they now have a baseline for contract talks with Nacua.
All Nacua has to do is point to Smith-Njigba’s contract and say, “I deserve more than that.” It’d be difficult for the Rams to argue against his logic.
Just compare their career numbers.
The only category Smith-Njigba has an advantage in through three seasons is games played and touchdown catches; Nacua has one more total touchdown when accounting for rushing scores.
So, why wouldn’t Nacua get more than Smith-Njigba on his next contract? Even though JSN won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, Nacua was every bit as deserving. He caught more passes (129 to 119), led the NFL in receiving yards per game (107.2) and scored one more touchdown in one fewer game.
Both are outstanding receivers, two of the best in the NFL right now. In all likelihood, whichever player signed an extension first was going to set the bar for the other in contract negotiations. Had Nacua signed a deal first, Smith-Njigba likely would’ve leapfrogged him by at least a little bit.
Now, Nacua’s the one who’s probably going to become the highest-paid receiver in league history. The Rams don’t exactly have much leverage in negotiations, either.
Nacua has put up better numbers than Smith-Njigba and the Rams have no long-term answer at wideout besides Puka. Davante Adams is an outstanding No. 2, but he has one year left on his deal and isn’t someone to build around.
It’s unclear where the Rams and Nacua stand in contract talks, but Les Snead indicated those conversations wouldn’t really ramp up until after free agency and the draft. The Rams often get these types of extensions done during the summer, so they were probably always willing to wait it out, even at the expense of Smith-Njigba signing first.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How Jaxon Smith-Njigba's extension impacts Puka Nacua, Rams
Continue reading...
On Monday morning, the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million extension with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with an average salary of $42.15 million.
It’s a contract that’s not only relevant to the Rams because of the NFC West connection, but particularly for their upcoming negotiations with Nacua. Like Smith-Njigba, Nacua is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason as a former 2023 draft pick.
The Rams have every intention of extending their star receiver, just as the Seahawks did with their own, and they now have a baseline for contract talks with Nacua.
All Nacua has to do is point to Smith-Njigba’s contract and say, “I deserve more than that.” It’d be difficult for the Rams to argue against his logic.
Just compare their career numbers.
- Nacua: 44 games, 313 receptions, 4,191 yards, 19 TD receptions, 240 rushing yards, 2 TD rushes.
- Smith-Njigba: 51 games, 282 receptions, 3,551 yards, 20 TD receptions, 62 rushing yards, 0 TD rushes.
The only category Smith-Njigba has an advantage in through three seasons is games played and touchdown catches; Nacua has one more total touchdown when accounting for rushing scores.
So, why wouldn’t Nacua get more than Smith-Njigba on his next contract? Even though JSN won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, Nacua was every bit as deserving. He caught more passes (129 to 119), led the NFL in receiving yards per game (107.2) and scored one more touchdown in one fewer game.
Both are outstanding receivers, two of the best in the NFL right now. In all likelihood, whichever player signed an extension first was going to set the bar for the other in contract negotiations. Had Nacua signed a deal first, Smith-Njigba likely would’ve leapfrogged him by at least a little bit.
Now, Nacua’s the one who’s probably going to become the highest-paid receiver in league history. The Rams don’t exactly have much leverage in negotiations, either.
Nacua has put up better numbers than Smith-Njigba and the Rams have no long-term answer at wideout besides Puka. Davante Adams is an outstanding No. 2, but he has one year left on his deal and isn’t someone to build around.
It’s unclear where the Rams and Nacua stand in contract talks, but Les Snead indicated those conversations wouldn’t really ramp up until after free agency and the draft. The Rams often get these types of extensions done during the summer, so they were probably always willing to wait it out, even at the expense of Smith-Njigba signing first.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How Jaxon Smith-Njigba's extension impacts Puka Nacua, Rams
Continue reading...
