There was some big news in the NFC west recently as the Seattle Seahawks signed wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension with over $120 million in guaranteed money.
The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, can just sit back and laugh as this likely forces the Los Angeles Rams to overpay for their own top wideout, Puka Nacua.
Smith-Njigba essentially re-set the wide receiver market now. He's coming off a great year in which he recorded 1,793 receiving yards and had 10 touchdowns. He took home AP Offensive Player of the Year honors for a reason.
While it s unfortunate that Smith-Njigba is going continue to be a major thorn in San Francisco's side for the foreseeable future, it could have the benefit of making the Seahawks and Rams less financially flexible.
The Rams are going to have a decision to make on Nacua eventually, and it would not be a big shock if he ends up signing a similarly expensive long-term deal. Both players are among the best receivers in the game and are both obviously a huge key to the successes both the Seahawks and Rams had last season.
But if both of those teams are overpaying their wide receivers, that means less money for the rest of the roster. Will Seattle be able to keep its dominant defense intact now after this deal? What roster holes will this create for L.A.?
Meanwhile, the 49ers got themselves an elite wide receiver at a fraction of the cost. The Niners signed Mike Evans to a three-year, $42.5 million deal which is way more affordable. Sure, Evans is not as young as JSN or Nacua, but he's still elite when healthy.
Plus, San Francisco has been down the dark road of wide receiver extensions recently. Both the Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk sagas proved to be costly mistakes, so it would honestly be very surprising if the 49ers handed out a big extension to a receiver in the near future.
It truly does feel like an arms race in the NFC West right now, though. One could easily argue the Seahawks, Rams, and Niners are three of the best teams in the NFL, and the Niners know they have some ground to make up on both Seattle and LA next season.
Maybe the big Smith-Njigba and likely similar future deal to Nacua will hobble both NFC West rivals down the road, and San Franciscocan take advantage.