Jaxon Smith-Njigba has awkward endorsement for new Bears OC Shane Waldron

New Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has drawn mostly positive reviews in the two weeks since he was hired after three years with the Seattle Seahawks, but one of his former players didn’t exactly give him a ringing endorsement when given the opportunity.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, along with New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave, joined CHGO Bears on Wednesday at Super Bowl LVIII radio row and was asked by Mark Carman about his former offensive coordinator. Smith-Njigba had an interesting response, to say the least. “Um, this is live?” he said somewhat nervously after a long pause. Smith-Njigba then claimed he was joking before giving his answer. “Good luck to you all; he’s a great person, great offensive coordinator. I was very lucky to get to have him my first year. Learned a lot from him.”

Smith-Njigba finished his answer saying Waldron and quarterback Justin Fields would be a great fit together if he remains the quarterback in 2024. “I think he and Justin will mesh well, and adding more guys around him will be great, so we’ll see. He’s going to love Justin.” Smith-Njigba and Fields were teammates in college back in 2020.

The silence was LOUD when we asked Jaxon Smith-Njigba about new Bears OC Shane Waldron pic.twitter.com/r7beJgxEMq

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) February 7, 2024

Smith-Njigba spent just one season with Waldron while getting acclimated to the NFL, but his initial hesitation to say something at the beginning is telling. The Seahawks offense sputtered at times in 2023, finishing with the 21st-ranked scoring offense in the league with a 9-8 overall record. Smith-Njigba had a modest debut after Seattle drafted him in the first round, catching 63 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns while playing behind veteran receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Smith-Njigba’s 628 receiving yards were 10th-most among rookie pass catchers.

Only Smith-Njigba truly knows how he feels about Waldron, but his hesitancy to endorse him off the bat will certainly raise some eyebrows.