Seahawks star JSN makes TIME magazine’s top-100 list for sports

Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Tuesday was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 most influential people in sports” for 2026.

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Smith-Njigba is one of several individuals with local ties to make the list. Others include Vancouver, Wash., native and Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Jordan Chiles; former Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike; and former Seattle Torrent star and five-time women’s hockey Olympic medalist Hilary Knight.

Smith-Njigba is coming off a spectacular 2025 campaign, earning AP Offensive Player of the Year honors after piling up a league-high and franchise-record 1,793 receiving yards, which were the eighth-most in a single season in NFL history. He became just the third NFL player to top 1,700 receiving yards at age 23 or younger and helped lead the Seahawks to their franchise’s second Super Bowl title.

In March, the Seahawks rewarded Smith-Njigba with a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.

Chiles is a two-time Olympic medalist. She helped Team USA to a gold medal in the team event at the 2024 Paris Games and a silver medal in the team event at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Ogwumike, who spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Storm, is a 10-time WNBA All-Star. The 15-year veteran returned this season to the Los Angeles Sparks, who she spent her first 12 seasons and won WNBA MVP honors with in 2016.

Knight, who helped the U.S. women’s hockey team to an Olympic gold medal in February, is headed to the PWHL’s expansion team in Detroit as part of a sign-and-trade deal. She spent the 2025-26 season with the Torrent.

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