Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba wins NFL Offensive Player of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO — A season that was already the best for a receiver in the Seahawks’ 50-year history became a little more glittering Thursday when Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named as the winner of The Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year award.

The AP awards, which were handed out at the NFL Honors show at the Palace of Fine Arts, are regarded as the league’s official awards.

Smith-Njigba won the award in what was a close vote, getting 14 of a possible 50 first-place votes and 272 points overall. San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey was second with 12 first-place votes and 223 points, while L.A. Rams receiver Puka Nacua was next with eight first-place votes and 170 points while Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson was fourth (six, 168) and New England QB Drake Maye fifth (five, 58).

Smith-Njigba’s extensive 2025 season résumé included leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, which smashed the previous team record of 1,303 by DK Metcalf in 2020, and setting a team record with 119 receptions, which was fourth in the NFL (Nacua led with 129). He had shared the team receptions record of 100 (from last season) with Tyler Lockett (2020) heading into the season.

As detailed by the AP, a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Dungy and Kurt Warner and 2002 AP NFL MVP Rich Gannon were among the voters. Voters select a top five for each award. A first-place vote is worth 10 points, second place is five followed by three, two and one. The weighted point system began in 2022.

Smith-Njigba, whose awards this season also include being named a first-team All-Pro, did not attend the awards ceremony with the Seahawks still busy in preparation for Sunday’s Super Bowl game against the New England Patriots.

But in comments released through the league afterward, Smith-Njigba said first, “What an honor.”

“I want to first give all the glory to God,” Smith-Njigba continued. “Second, I want to give it to my teammates. I want to thank y’all. I love y’all. Y’all are who I do it for each and every week. I want to give this award to my father (Maada Smith-Njigba). Going into my last year (of college at Ohio State), he told me to pray for wisdom, and I did. Before going into that season, I wanted to be a Top 5 draft choice, I wanted to be a Heisman candidate, a bunch of things, and ultimately, I wasn’t able to play (a hamstring injury limited him to three games) and I think with that time, I grew wise and figured out a lot about myself, and who I wanted to be and who I wanted to do it for. Ultimately dropping to the 20th draft pick where I was selected by the Seattle Seahawks and I can’t thank everyone involved enough.”

The Seahawks almost had a second winner, but safety Nick Emmanwori finished as the runner-up for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, behind the winner, Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Emmanwori received seven first-place votes to Schwesinger’s 40.

Mike Macdonald was a finalist for Coach of the Year but finished third with his counterpart in Sunday’s Super Bowl, Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots, winning the honor.

Macdonald got eight of 50 first-place votes. Vrabel received 19 and Jacksonville’s Liam Coen, who was second, got 15.

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was up for Assistant Coach of the Year but also lost out to a competitor in Sunday’s game, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Kubiak came in fourth with three first-place votes.

Smith-Njigba’s victory means the Seahawks will have two winners of the AP Offensive Player of the Year award playing in Sunday’s game — Cooper Kupp also won it in 2021 while with the Los Angeles Rams, a year he also went on to win the Super Bowl MVP award.

Earlier in the day, Kupp praised Smith-Njigba for his ability to deceive defenders trying to cover him, which he said was a key to JSN’s record-setting season.

“He doesn’t give tips or tells,” Kupp said. “He plays at one level the entire time better than anyone I’ve ever seen. Everything looks the same. You never know what’s coming, and his ability to put his foot in the ground and change directions without sinking — it’s one thing to raise up, which is always a bad sign, but to do it without having to sink either, and be able to make the turns that he does, is really impressive.”

Running back Shaun Alexander is the only other Seahawk to win the Offensive Player of the Year award since it began in 1972, doing so in 2005 when he rushed for 1,880 yards and set a then-NFL record with 28 total touchdowns, including tying the NFL record with 27 rushing TDs. Alexander also won the AP NFL MVP award that season and remains the only Seahawk to win MVP honors.