There’s a real debate to be had as to who is presently the best wide receiver in the NFL.
Ja’Marr Chase would have a strong case with 252 receptions for 3,120 yards and 25 touchdowns over the last two seasons for the Bengals.
The Rams’ Puka Nacua is right at the top of the conversation, presently holding the NFL record with 95.3 receiving yards per game in his three-year career. He led the NFL last season with 129 receptions and finished second with 1,715 yards despite missing a game and being limited in another by a sprained ankle.
Justin Jefferson surely deserves to be mentioned, considering he ranks second all-time with 90.2 receiving yards per game over six seasons despite that number being undermined in 2025 by the trio of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer at QB for the Vikings.
Jefferson had never finished with fewer than 1,400 yards over a full season before totaling a career-low 1,048 and 2 TDs (on 84 catches) in 17 games last season.
And in terms of raw talent and peak upside, the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb is somewhere in that discussion as well.
In addition to statistics, though, there are three other metrics that speak to a player’s stature in the game.
Superlatives, Super Bowls and salary.
And right now, Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the singular wide receiver who checks all the boxes.
The Case For Jaxon-Smith Njigba As The Top NFL WR
Smith-Njigba has the stats — he led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in the regular season last year, with 119 receptions and 10 TDs.
He has the superlatives, winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. (Jefferson is the only other WR noted here who can claim the same.)
He just won a Super Bowl, which none of those other top wide receivers have done, with Chase the only other to play in one.
And JSN can also now stake claim as the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history after signing a four-year, $168.6 million extension with Seattle, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The extension includes $120 million guaranteed and kicks in after the final two years of his rookie contract, but the average annual value of the four years in that extension is unmatched (for now).
Here’s a look at the ranking of highest-paid WRs per average annual value of their latest signed contracts:
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba $42.15 million
2. Ja’Marr Chase $40.25 million
3. Justin Jefferson $35 million
4. CeeDee Lamb $34 million
5. DK Metcalf $33 million
(Heck of a job by Metcalf’s agent, by the way. Hat tip!)
Does this mean JSN is inarguably the top wide receiver in the NFL in 2026? Of course not!
He could be. But it’s a great debate for a reason. Poll all 32 NFL general managers about which WR they’d take for their team, and there would surely be several different answers.
But Smith-Njigba certainly leads in clout now, fresh off that 2025 NFL receiving yards title, NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, Super Bowl ring and unprecedented contract.
This much at least is not up for debate — no wide receiver in the league has had a better year all-around than JSN.
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