The Seattle Seahawks challenged Jaxon Smith-Njigba to become their clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver this past offseason after they said goodbye to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Smith-Njigba delivered and then some, leading him to receive one of the game’s highest individual honors: Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith-Njigba got 14 first-place votes to Christian McCaffrey’s 12 and finished with 272 points. McCaffrey, who won the Comeback Player of the Year award, had 223 points.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, a unanimous All-Pro like Smith-Njigba, finished third with eight first-place votes and 170 points. Atlanta Falcons All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson was right behind him with six first-place votes and 168 points.
Drake Maye had five first-place votes and ended up fifth (58). Matthew Stafford (three), Josh Allen (one) and Trey McBride (one) also got first-place votes.
Smith-Njigba, 23, made his case to win Offensive Player of the Year by leading the league in receiving yards (1,793), doing so by quickly forming a strong connection with first-year Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. He also finished fourth in receptions (119) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (10).
On top of the strong statistics, Smith-Njigba made a handful of highlight plays. His one-handed catch in the Seahawks’ NFC Championship Game was one of the top plays of the postseason as he’s also demonstrated a strong route-running ability.
FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady explained what makes Smith-Njigba’s game so special when he was on the cal for the Seahawks’ NFC title win.
“He catches everything! One-handed, two-handed, off the fingertips — he’s so graceful with his body control. He’s like an ice skater out there when I see him run routes,” Brady said. “He glides and his shoulder plane never dips. It’s always the same height. A lot of receivers, when they run, if they’re speeding up or stopping, their shoulder planes will rise or fall. He maintains the same shoulder plane when he runs his route.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
