The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the surprise contenders of the 2025 season, sitting atop the NFC West through seven games. The offseason additions of Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp have reignited the offense, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba en route to a career-best season.
However, beyond Smith-Njigba and Kupp, the receiver production has been thin. As the trade deadline approaches, reports suggest Seattle may look to buy low on a proven pass catcher to elevate the offense to another tier and fuel a potential Super Bowl run.
Seahawks Linked to Browns TE
Last year, Darnold went through a career renaissance with the Minnesota Vikings. But for most people, his resurgence felt like a byproduct of the brilliance of Kevin O’Connell and the presence of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Making his way to Seattle, it was hard to imagine the transformation he had gone through. But, ranked 11th on PFSN’s QB Impact, he has been a revelation in Seattle, with his performance directly leading to a blockbuster year for Smith-Njigba.
Ranked second on PFSN’s WR Impact, Smith-Njigba has 819 receiving yards and four touchdowns through seven games. But even with his excellence, the Seahawks rank 10th on PFSN’s Offense Impact.
To take that jump into a true Super Bowl contender, Josh Weil of PFSN has a trade idea in mind. He believes that Seattle could try to take a swing at Browns TE David Njoku, who has fallen out of favor in Cleveland due to the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin Jr.
“Injuries have held David Njoku back from taking the next step as a top tight end in this league, but he looks to be healthy now, and a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for him. Plus, the Browns play his replacement, whom they drafted last year, more often than they play Njoku these days,” Weil wrote.
Njoku currently ranks 36th in PFSN’s TE Impact metric and has stayed mostly healthy this season outside of a Week 7 absence. Through seven games, he’s recorded 27 receptions for 260 yards and two touchdowns, offering a more dynamic pass-catching threat than his usage suggests. In his career, he has accumulated 32 total touchdowns.
Seattle’s current starter, AJ Barner, has produced 18 receptions for 212 yards and four touchdowns, ranking 19th in TE Impact. He has been solid, but adding an affordable, experienced weapon could deepen the rotation and give Darnold another reliable target.
Financially, the move is viable. Njoku is in the final year of a four-year, $54.75 million contract and carries an $11.4 million cap hit, one that the Seahawks can comfortably absorb. With the veteran set to hit free agency in 2026, the risk remains minimal.