How Former Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Take the Super Bowl LX MVP Award

As kickoff for Super Bowl LX inches closer and closer, one of the game’s key predictions is heating up in debates all around the league.

Who will be Super Bowl LX’s Most Valuable Player?

While it’s always smart to consider the quarterbacks first and foremost, there’s one former Ohio State Buckeye whose name surely deserves tons of consideration: Seattle Seahawks’ wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

According to The Sporting News’ Bill Bender on The Bobby Carpenter Show via the BIGPLAY Sports Network, Smith-Njigba must be considered amongst the favorites:

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba got Offensive Player of the Year at Sporting News last week, we named him that. He’s amazing., I think he’s the one guy that [Seahawks’ quarterback Sam] Darnold has a really good connection with, and of the offensive playmakers in this game, if JSN has a huge game -- haven’t looked at the odds... he’s not a bad pick for Super Bowl MVP.”

.@BillBender92 likes the Seahawks 24-20 in the Super Bowl and a Buckeye as a sleeper for MVP

"Of the offensive playmakers in this game, if JSN has a huge game, he's not a bad pick for Super Bowl MVP."

Presented by @drinkgaragebeer https://t.co/1ZudHR5Qo7 pic.twitter.com/B4k268bJYK
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) February 4, 2026

Why Jaxon Smith-Njigba could become Super Bowl LX’s MVP?

First of all, JSN is coming off a monster season where he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) off 119 catches in just his third year as a pro. Smith-Njigba also tallied double-digit touchdowns (10) for the first time in his career, and has kept the momentum going with two more scores during the playoffs.

His 10 catches for 153 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game were vital for Seattle getting this far.

He’s not only the prohibitive favorite to take home the Offensive Player of the Year Award when it’s announced later on tonight at the NFL Honors show, with odds ranging from -1100 to -2000 at most online sportsbooks, but he also owns the third shortest odds of any player (+550) at DraftKings Sportsbook to come away with Super Bowl MVP honors, only trailing the quarterbacks (Darnold, +115; Drake Maye, +240).

What does Jaxon Smith-Njigba need to become Super Bowl LX’s MVP?

Basically, what he’s been doing all year long. JSN tallied nine 100+ receiving-yard games and eight games with at least one score during the regular season, including a couple of two score games. He added another 100+ receiving yard game and two more games with a score in the postseason.

A peek at the previous eight wide receivers who have won Super Bowl MVP honors and their numbers could give us a good idea of the output JSN would need for consideration, at least.

Super Bowl	Player	Team	Receptions	Receiving yards	Touchdowns
X	Lynn Swann	Steelers	4	161	1
XI	Fred Biletnikoff	Raiders	4	79	0
XXIII	Jerry Rice	49ers	11	215	1
XXXIX	Deion Branch	Patriots	11	133	0
XL	Hines Ward	Steelers	5	123	1
XLIII	Santonio Holmes	Steelers	9	131	1
LIII	Julian Edelman	Patriots	10	141	0
LVI	Cooper Kupp	Rams	8	92	2

Clearly, a Fred Biletnikoff-like performance won’t cut it. And even double-digit catches might not be enough. A total of nine wide receivers have caught at least 10 passes in a Super Bowl, and only three of them have come away with the MVP award.

Out of those nine outings, only eight surpassed the 100-yard mark, including Jerry Rice’s unbelievable 215-yard day in Super Bowl XXIII. And of said eight, just four also scored at least once, including Rice’s three touchdown game in Super Bowl XXIX which didn’t lead to a second Super Bowl MVP award.

Notably, all but two Super Bowl MVP wideouts have produced at least 100 receiving yards and all but three scored in the game. Rice remains the Super Bowl’s only MVP wideout to have achieved all three milestones on the same day. Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp is the only two-score wideout to win the distinction.

Of course, this can’t be seen in a vacuum: there are other factors to consider. Seattle needs to win -- the NFL won’t hand an MVP award to a player from a losing team ever again -- and his teammates can’t overshadow him. If Darnold has a five-touchdown game, or Kenneth Walker III runs three scores in, that might be enough.

But, anything resembling an eight catch, 130-yard and a touchdown day -- or better -- should have JSN as part of the MVP debate.

One last thing to consider: the individual matchup versus one of the game's most talented cornerbacks, Christian Gonzalez. The Patriots’ cornerback rarely travels with the opposing team’s best wideout, having played around 72 percent of his snaps on the right side in 2026 according to ESPN. But should he shadow JSN, it will be something to keep an eye on.

If Smith-Njigba gets the best of Gonzalez managing a couple of highlight catches to go with a productive stat sheet, he’ll definitely be part of that MVP conversation when all is said and done.
And winning the prestigious award would make him only the second Buckeye to ever achieve it, following fellow wideout Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII.