Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s rookie season in the NFL was good, but not great. The No. 20 overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft caught 63 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns. He was the third-leading receiver on the Seahawks behind Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.
It seems like Jaxon Smith-Njigba might have some resentment toward his play-caller.
Shane Waldron, who served as the offensive coordinator in Seattle in 2021, 2022 and 2023, was announced to the same role with the Bears on Jan. 23. Fans of the organization are hopeful that he will be the one to finally tap into the full potential of Chicago’s offense— regardless of whether Justin Fields or Caleb Williams is at quarterback.
Smith-Njigba is not so sure. Or so it appears.
CHGO Sports spoke with the rising second-year pass-catcher on radio row at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. They asked him about Waldron.
It got awkward.
Silence can speak louder than words and Smith-Njigba did not have any words at first. He then proceeded to wish the Bears luck in a tone that came across as sarcastic.
Although Smith-Njigba was able to gather himself and ultimately offered an endorsement of Waldron, the initial reaction was far more indicative of his feelings. Chris Olave was sitting next to him and chose to stay out of it because it was so tense.
Folks in Chicago aren’t thrilled to hear what Smith-Njigba had to say. Or rather, didn’t say.
His comments did not inspire any confidence in their new leader of the offense.
However, many of them pointed out that Smith-Njigba’s opinion is irrelevant because he was the tertiary option in Waldron’s offense. He did not have a breakout rookie season like everyone expected.
Could Smith-Njigba’s hesitation stem from some disgruntlement with how things played out during his first year in the league? Perhaps.
Regardless of the reason for his uncomfortable reaction to the question about Waldron, it was uncomfortable. Smith-Njigba does not appear to be the biggest fan of his former offensive coordinator.