Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba fires back at 49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir: 'Hard to respond back to all my fans'
Lenoir called out Smith-Njigba prior to the Week 18 matchup

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has probably added to his already large fan base with a dominant 2025 season, but there was only one on his mind after his Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers to clinch both the NFC West and the top record in the conference on Saturday. Smith-Njigba took a shot at 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who called out the Seahawks receiver one week earlier.
After the 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears in a Week 17 shootout, Lenoir said he wanted to "shadow" Smith-Njigba.
"Hoperfully I get to, you know, shadow JSN. I'm ready for this," Lenoir said. "I hope he's ready. Man-to-man coverage. That's what I want."
Following a 13-3 win for Seattle, in which Smith-Njigba caught six passes for 84 yards, the receiver said he was aware of Lenoir's comments. It's just tough to respond to every message he gets from his "fans."
"I definitely heard it," Smith-Njigba said. "It's hard to respond back to all my fans, but I knew that we were gonna see him today and take care of business."
Unfortunately for Lenoir, he didn't quite get his wish in terms of coverage. The 49ers didn't seem interested in having Lenoir follow Smith-Njigba, and the two weren't lined up across from one another very often. There was one moment, on the first drive of the game, in which Smith-Njigba beat Lenoir, who yanked on the receiver's arm and took a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone.
The penalty didn't cost the 49ers because they forced a turnover on downs at the four-yard line, but it still wasn't a play that will wind up on Lenoir's highlight reel.
Not only did Smith-Njigba have a productive day, but the Seahawks got the last laugh as a team. Since the NFC's road to the Super Bowl will go through Seattle, it's possible that the 49ers will be making that trip for a rubber match at some point in the coming weeks.
















