The NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year will stay in Seattle through 2031.
Seahawks News
The Seahawks are resigning their top offensive threat to a record contract.
ESPN reports that the team has reached a four-year, $168.6 million deal with Jaxon Smith-Njigba to make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. The extension is worth $42 million per year with $120 million in guaranteed money, which both set records for a wide receiver.
Smith-Njigba is coming off a season where he set Seahawks franchise records with 119 catches and 1,793 yards. It earned him the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award and a 1st-Team All-Pro nod, both in just his third season in the league.
JSN, who just turned 24 last month, will now stay in Seattle through the 2031 season after the team exercised his fifth-year option for 2027 last week.
March Madness News
The Sweet 16 is set in the men’s college basketball bracket.
9th-seeded Iowa upset top-seeded Florida yesterday on a last-second three-pointer as the Hawkeyes now advance to face their Big Ten rivals in 4th-seeded Nebraska. Elsewhere in the South Region of the bracket, 3rd-seeded Illinois is playing 2nd-seeded Houston after both teams notched dominant wins on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga’s tournament run is over after the Zags were upset by 11th-seeded Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns will play 2nd-seeded Purdue, while top-seeded Arizona plays 4th-seeded Arkansas in the pair of West Region matchups.
In the East, top-seeded Duke is playing 5th-seeded Saint John’s after the Red Storm shocked Kansas on a buzzer beater yesterday. It was Spokane native and former Washington State Cougar Dylan Darling who scored the game-winning layup. Also in the East, 2nd-seeded UConn is facing 3rd-seeded Michigan State in a battle between two legendary coaches with the Huskies’ Dan Hurley and Spartans’ Tom Izzo.
Rounding it out in the Midwest Region, top-seeded Michigan will play 4th-seeded Alabama, while 2nd-seeded Iowa State takes on 6th-seeded Tennessee.
Those Sweet 16 games will be played on Thursday and Friday.
UW Huskies News
The Huskies women had their season come to an end in a heartbreaker yesterday.
UW fell to TCU 62-59 in overtime. Sayvia Sellers led the Huskies with 18 points but missed a 3-pointer as time expired in overtime.
TCU’s Olivia Miles had a near triple double as she continued her final tournament run as one of the top players in the country.
Elsewhere in the women’s tournament, 10th-seeded Virginia upset 2nd-seeded Iowa in double overtime earlier today as the second round wraps up tonight.
Speaking of the Huskies, a former No. 1 overall pick out of UW is getting another shot in the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors announced today that they’re signing Markelle Fultz to a 10-day contract.
Injuries have plagued Fultz since the 76ers drafted him first overall in 2017, appearing in less than 20 games in each of his first two seasons. The 27-year-old hasn’t played in the NBA yet this season, spending most of this time with the Raptors’ G League team.
Kraken/Torrent News
The Kraken have hit a snag in their battle to make the playoffs.
They fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Saturday for their third straight loss.
Kaapo Kakko had a goal and an assist, but it wasn’t enough for Seattle to overcome an early 3-0 deficit. They’ve now slipped two points behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Kraken continue their road trip tomorrow by facing the 2x defending champion Florida Panthers. Coverage begins at 3:30 and puck drops at 4 tomorrow on KPUG.
Meanwhile, the Torrent fell to the Boston Fleet 3-0 on Saturday as Seattle remains at the bottom of the PWHL standings in its inaugural season.