ESPN analyst Ben Solak just threw down a wild claim: the Raiders’ Brock Bowers, fresh off his return, is the *new* Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That’s right, our guy, the reigning 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, is now the benchmark for other teams! The Raiders are 3-0 on the season, and after Bowers got back on the field, he looked like a superstar tight end in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. He’s absolutely primed for a massive 2026 season, all because of a familiar face running the show.
The Kubiak Wizardry: JSN’s OPOY Masterclass
Solak didn’t just toss that comparison out there without reason. He stated, “I think … Brock Bowers is the new Jaxon Smith-Njigba,” adding, “But I imagine we’re only at the top of Kubiak’s bag with Bowers.” What does that even mean for the Emerald City’s own JSN? It means being the absolute number one target on a team, someone the offensive coordinator builds the entire game plan around. And who was that guy for us? Our Jaxon, under Klint Kubiak’s direction. Kubiak’s scheme was so good in 2025, it propelled Smith-Njigba to Offensive Player of the Year status. Solak called Kubiak’s work “greatest wizardry,” specifically how he “stayed ahead of defensive adjustments and always found a way to manufacture opportunities for Smith-Njigba.” That’s the kind of play-calling that makes legends, and now the league is seeing it again.
Bowers Is Getting The JSN Treatment
You just love to see the league recognize the genius that happened right here in Seattle, don’t you? Kubiak is already doing the exact same thing with Bowers. While Bowers might be a tight end, he’s lining up like a wide receiver more often than not. In Week 3, he was split out as a receiver more frequently than he was in the traditional tight end spot. This guy’s a big-bodied athlete, and Kubiak knows you just gotta get him the ball as much as possible. Just like he built our 2025 Seahawks offense around JSN, the Raiders are now building their entire passing attack around Bowers. Solak isn’t wrong: the similarities are totally there. Both are dynamic receivers, the clear No. 1 option, and Kubiak is a master at scheming his top target open. Bowers might not hit JSN’s season-long ceiling, but his usage? It’s gonna look incredibly similar.
What does this mean for our Hawks? Well, if other teams are trying to replicate what Klint Kubiak did with JSN, it just shows how truly special Smith-Njigba’s 2025 OPOY campaign really was. It’s a huge shoutout to our guy and what our offense was capable of when Kubiak was calling the shots. Keep an eye on Bowers and the Raiders’ 3-0 start, sure, but mostly, let’s just appreciate the blueprint JSN laid down for the whole dang league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply