Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba clears the air on Shane Waldon... sorta
A little over a year ago at this time, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave an incredibly awkward response when asked about former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron by a Chicago Bears podcast. By no means did JSN say anything cruel or hurtful, but the extended silence in response to asking him about Waldron was certainly noticeable.
Fast forward 12 months, almost to the day, and JSN offered some clarity towards his comments… sort of. Appearing on a new podcast hosted by former teammate Laviska Shenault Jr., JSN gave some time to explain how he was a little caught off guard by the question, as his mind was all over the place following several media appearances in Las Vegas during Super Bowl week, and was not expecting a question about Shane Waldron.
JSN says he did not mean any disrespect towards Waldron. However, another period of awkward silence did occur once more on the topic.
WOAH:#Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba said this about former Seattle OC Shane Waldron:
'I really thought he was a good offensive coordinator…. [pauses and giggles].'
WATCH THE REST OF THE PODCAST HERE:https://t.co/vB3xXs937W
h/t: @vountee
[🎥: Athlete's Aura/Youtube] https://t.co/50QGadkuNM pic.twitter.com/Unf1cWiO0I
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) February 15, 2025
I know JSN's heart is in the right place. He is a good dude and I believe him when he says he means no disrespect. I can also assume he probably did not fully enjoy the time spent playing in Waldron's system. And who can blame him? I mean, just look at the leap he took from year one under Waldon to year two under Grubb (a coach who is now no longer in the NFL)
Targets: 93 in 2023 to 137 in 2024
Receptions: 63 in 2023 to 100 in 2024 (tied a franchise record)
Receiving yards: 628 in 2023 to 1,130 in 2024
Touchdowns: 4 in 2024 and 6 in 2024
By no means were those numbers bad for a rookie, in a vacuum, but they were hardly eye-popping stats you'd expect from the first wide receiver selected in the 2023 NFL draft. The fact JSN was able to explode in year two the way he did can be, at least in part, attributed to an offensive coordinator better suited at incorporating his skillset into the offense.
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