Jaxon Smith-Njigba is officially the NFL’s best offensive player for the 2025 season.
The former Ohio State receiver won one of the most prestigious awards at Thursday night’s NFL Honors when he was named the 2025 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith-Njigba wins the award after leading the NFL in receiving yards during the regular season with 1,793 yards, the eighth-most in a single season in NFL history, and leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl, where they’ll play the New England Patriots on Sunday (6:30 p.m., NBC).
In a taped acceptance speech – Smith-Njigba didn’t attend the banquet since he’s playing in the Super Bowl – the former Ohio State wide receiver dedicated the award to his father, who he said helped him stay the course when his Ohio State career was cut short by a hamstring injury in his final season as a Buckeye.
OPOY in Year 3 @jaxon_smith1
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026
NFL Honors on NBC/NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus & Peacock pic.twitter.com/4cVuEmQYQT
“Going into my last year (at Ohio State), he told me to pray for wisdom, and I did,” Smith-Njigba said. “Before going into that season, I wanted to be a top-five draft choice, I wanted to be a Heisman candidate, a bunch of things, and ultimately I wasn't able to play. And I think with that time, I grew wise and figured out a lot about myself and who I wanted to be and who I wanted to do it for, ultimately dropping to the 20th draft pick where I was selected by the Seattle Seahawks, and I can't thank everyone involved enough.”
JSN is the second former Ohio State receiver to win AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Thomas, who won the award for the 2019 season after setting an NFL record with 149 receptions. They are the only two Buckeyes to win the award.
Smith-Njigba was also named a unanimous AP NFL All-Pro for his play this season.
Including the Seahawks’ first two playoff games, Smith-Njigba has now caught 132 passes for 1,965 yards and 12 touchdowns in 19 total games this season. Having already had one of the greatest NFL seasons ever for a former Ohio State player, Smith-Njigba will now cap off his third NFL season by competing for a championship in the sport’s biggest game.
JSN mixtape, OPOY Edition
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 6, 2026
@jaxon_smith1 x @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/YRaISmGQSS
Smith-Njigba was one of two former Ohio State players to win awards at Thursday night’s NFL Honors along with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who won AP NFL Coach of the Year.
