Super Bowl Honors: Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba NFL offensive player of the year
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is now certifiably elite.
The league’s leader in receiving yards this season became the NFL offensive player of the year Thursday night, as announced at the NFL Honors awards show at the Super Bowl.
Still just 23 years old, in his third season since Seattle drafted him in the first round out of Ohio State, Smith-Njigba took over the Seahawks’ lead receiver role this season after the team traded D.K. Metcalf to Pittsburgh last spring.
Smith-Njigba flourished as Seattle’s new main man.
He had 1,793 yards receiving, from Pro Bowl and Super Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold in Darnold’s first year with the team.
Smith-Njigba’s award was announced in San Francisco, at The Palace of Fine Arts, three days before he and his Seahawks play in Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots in Santa Clara.
Smith-Njigba learned of the award Thursday night while resting in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl hotel about an hour down San Francisco Bay, in San Jose.
Other Seahawks finalists up for awards at the NFL Honors show: Nick Emmanwori for NFL defensive rookie of the year and Klint Kubiak for assistant coach of the year.
Cleveland Browns rookie Carson Schwesinger won that award over Emmanwori.
Mike Vrabel was named NFL coach of the year over finalist Mike Macdonald of the Seahawks.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 7:48 PM with the headline "Super Bowl Honors: Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba NFL offensive player of the year."
