JSN Takes Home Some Hardware From NFL Honors Ceremony

The Associated Press handed out their annual awards for the 2025 season tonight, and while no Seahawks were present for the ceremony due to their imminent participation in Super Bowl LX, they had strong representation on the list of finalists. As the night went on, however, the Seahawks were largely being left behind.

Until near the end of the presentation, when the Offensive Player of the Year award was given to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the star Wide Receiver for the Seattle Seahawks who had a massive breakout season on the NFC Champions. The win was mostly expected, but there were other strong contenders for the award, who did come close in the voting.

Smith-Njigba got 14 first-place votes, with San Francisco 49ers Running Back Christian McCaffery pulling in with 12 and Los Angeles Rams Wide Receiver Puka Nacua getting 8. In terms of overall voting, JSN had 272 points to McCaffrey’s 223, much closer than most of the other categories and indicative of a fairly split vote.

JSN shattered the franchise record for catches with 119, led the league in receiving with 1,793 yards, and threw in 10 touchdowns for good measure. He was seventh in the league in scrimmage yards with 1,829, the most for any non-running back. He joins Shaun Alexander as the second Seahawk to win the award, and the first since 2005.

But that wasn’t all. Smith-Njigba was also one of three Fedex Air & Ground Players of the Year, splitting the honor with QB Drake Maye and RB Christian McCaffrey. The two accolades combined make it clear that JSN is recognized as the top wide receiver in the game right now.

It caps a brilliant third year for the receiver, who already made the Pro Bowl and was first team All-Pro. His accomplishments come on a team that was near the bottom of the league in passing, the Seahawks ranking 30th in the NFL in passing attempts per game.

Smith-Njigba continued to play dominant football in the postseason, including catching a touchdown in the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers and then hauling in a season-high 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the conference championship against the Los Angeles Rams.

Ultimately, JSN was the only Seahawk to take home any kind of hardware on the night. But there is plenty of hardware up for grabs in a few days in Santa Clara, and I’m sure that weighs on the minds of these players and coaches far more.

JSN is playing for the biggest stakes of them all in a few days. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

More Seahawks on SI stories