Tyler Lockett’s support ‘means everything’ to Jaxon Smith-Njigba as he closes in on veteran receiver’s record

With five more receptions on Sunday, receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba would finish his second season with 101 receptions, a total that would break the Seahawks’ single-season receptions record.

That would be a significant accomplishment for a player who is still only 22 years old and just wrapping up his second season, because it would mean he has accomplished something that Hall of Fame receiver Steve Largent, or Pro Bowlers like Brian Blades, never did. , Doug Baldwin, DK Metcalf, or by the current holder of that record, Tyler Lockett, who had 100 receptions in 2020.

And it’s an achievement Smith-Njigba didn’t even realize was approaching until Lockett told him about it recently, while at the same time supporting his younger teammate’s quest to break his record.

“The first time I heard about this, honestly, was when he came up to me about two weeks ago and said, ‘Hey, I think you’re going to break my record, I hope you break my record,'” Smith-Njigba said.

If Smith-Njigba can truly cap off an outstanding second season by breaking Lockett’s record, it will be fitting that he can do so while sharing the field with a player who has meant so much to his development during his first two seasons in the league. .

“It means a lot to hear his words, and having him by my side is definitely great,” said Smith-Njigba, who also has 1,121 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 16 games, helping him be named Pro-Bowl. alternate. “He has meant everything to me. Coming in and having Tyler Lockett, a great person and the best teammate, the best competitor, I couldn’t have been in a better situation. He’s a guy that I love and I’m happy that we both Let’s wear the same shirt.”

Because Lockett, who once experienced breaking his father’s record at Kansas State, understands better than most the old cliché that records must be broken. And in a season where he has often sacrificed production in the name of being a good teammate, he will look for Smith-Njigba to get the receptions he needs on Sunday to break that record.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to be able to support him since Jax became part of the team,” Lockett said. “When you have records, there’s a part of you where maybe you don’t want that record to be broken or whatever, but records are made to be broken. I learned that even in my father’s situation, when I had the opportunity to break my father’s records, and you start to understand that as time goes by, things change. Jax has done an incredible job with his opportunities, day after day. He has done well even in practice. , being able to translate all that. makes the games on the field. That’s why, for me, I just want to be able to count on all the support.”