Ranking the highest-paid NFL players: Where does Jaxon Smith-Njigba's contract rank?
These NFL players have the highest average annual value on their current contracts as of March 2026.
After winning the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award for 2025 , Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is set to become the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver. Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks have agreed to a four-year extension worth $168. 6 million , according to multiple reports.
The 24-year-old will make $120 million in guarantees as part of the deal. Smith-Njigba's contract is the latest reset for the league's burgeoning wide receiver market. Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase previously had the most lucrative receiver contract, valued at $40.
25 million annually, but Smith-Njigba's average annual value (AAV) of $42. 15 million has now surpassed that. But where does Smith-Njigba's deal rank among all players in the league?
While the pact will make him one of the 20 highest-paid players in the league, its value is still, unsurprisingly, lagging behind the ever-growing deals NFL teams are doling out to star quarterbacks. Here's a look at the NFL's highest-paid players for 2026 in the wake of Smith-Njigba's extension. Who is the highest-paid NFL player?