Why Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best potential Super Bowl MVP

The Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2014, when Pete Carroll’s team was picked off by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. The franchises renew acquaintances later today in Santa Clara in Super Bowl LX, and Mike Macdonald’s talented club hopes to exact some sort of revenge, organizational wise.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s third season has proven to be charming indeed. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2025 All-Pro finished fourth in the league with 119 catches and first in the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) while reaching the end zone 10 times. On Thursday, he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

JSN vs. Rams — Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs after a catch against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle’s top wideout continued his impressive 2025 in the postseason. He was targeted just four times but caught three passes for 19 yards and a score in the 41-6 rout of the rival 49ers in the divisional round. Quarterback Sam Darnold looked his way 12 times in the NFC title game. Smith-Njigba caught 10 passes for 153 yards and another touchdown in the 31-27 victory over the Rams.

There have been 59 previous Super Bowls, and the quarterback has been named the game’s Most Valuable Player 34 times. The position that has been the second-most recognized in terms of MVP is wide receiver. Eight different men have won the award. The first three were the Steelers’ Lynn Swann (X), the Raiders’ Fred Biletnikoff (XI) and the 49ers’ Jerry Rice. All are enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

Cooper Kupp LVI — Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp (10) runs after a reception against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter ofSuper Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The most recent is Smith-Njigba’s current teammate in former Rams’ star Cooper Kupp. He capped off a magnificent 2021 season with eight catches for 92 yards and two TDs, plus a key seven-yard run in the fourth quarter, in Los Angeles’ 23-20 win over the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

That season, Kupp put up monster numbers in leading the National Football League in grabs, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions. Like his current teammate, he earned All-Pro honors and was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in ’21. Kupp carried that regular-season momentum into the playoffs, and capped it off by being named the game’s best player on Super Sunday. Is it going out on a limb to say that Smith-Njigba is trending that way?

More Seahawks on SI stories