New Puka Nacua Rumors Uncover Timeline for Possible Rams Contract Extension After Historic JSN Deal

The Seattle Seahawks made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history on Monday, signing him to a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension with $120 million guaranteed.

That naturally leads to the question of when Puka Nacua might receive a contract extension of his own, one which could reset the wideout market yet again. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, however, that may not materialize until later in the summer given the other young players on the Los Angeles Rams who could also receive extensions:

While JSN was the Offensive Player of the Year after catching 119 passes for an NFL-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, Nacua wasn't far behind. The 24-year-old led football with 129 catches, turning them into 1,715 yards and 10 scores.

Nacua now has two seasons with at least 105 catches and 1,400 receiving yards, and hasn't dipped below 990 receiving yards in his three-year career. He'll at least equal JSN's record payout, if not exceed it once his inevitable extension is signed.

The timeline of those talks are murky, though general manager Les Snead already indicated the team would focus on retaining its own free agents before hammering out extensions.

"Naturally, we'll tackle players whose contracts are expiring first," he told reporters in February. "And then at that point in time, either try to bring them back or either communicate with them that it might be time to try different chapters. And with that being said, you go through the draft. Through the whole process with those type players, we're well aware that we have another year with them. We're well aware that they're very good players and we'd like to continue riding with those players into the future. And we begin working through that with all of them."

With defensive end Kobie Turner, outside linebacker Byron Young and guard Steve Avila also up for extensions, it promises to be a busy offseason for Snead. But of that bunch, Nacua is undoubtedly the top priority.