NFL Honors 2026: Jaxon Smith-Njigba named Offensive Player of the Year

Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named 2026 Offensive player of the Year at the NFL Honors on Thursday night. It’s the first time he’s won the award in his young NFL career.

Smith-Njigba was one of five players up for the annual award. He beat out the likes of New England Patriots QB Drake Maye, San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua and Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson for the award.

In three short years, Smith-Njigba has turned into one of the most productive wideouts in the leage. So far in his career, he’s racked up 282 receptions for 3,551 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s had back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons and has been QB Sam Darnold’s favorite target during this year’s Super Bowl run.

This season, Smith-Njigba turned in 119 receptions for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 15.1 yards per catch during the regular season.

In the NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams, Smith-Njigba turned in one of the best performances of his season. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 153 yards and a touchdown. He surpassed that receiving total only twice during the regular season and is expected to play a major role in Seattle’s offensive attack during the Super Bowl this Sunday against the New England Patriots.

For the rest of the finalists, Maye is set to take on the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. He threw for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Nacua was hot on Smith Njigba’s heels with 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns while leading the league in receptions (129). McCarthy finished his third 1,000-yard rushing season while finishing 76 yards shy of 1,000 yards receiving this season. Finally, Robinson finished this season with 287 carries for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns.

For Smith-Njigba, he’s three days away from playing in the first Super Bowl of his career. Kickoff between the Seahawks and Patriots is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBC will carry the live broadcast while streaming on Peacock.