Smith-Njigba highlights engraving error on NFL award
The 24-year-old, who secured the league’s offensive player of the year accolade, noted that the physical award was labelled as the defensive player of the year.
The Seattle Seahawks concluded the 2025 NFL season with a Super Bowl LX victory, navigating the toughest division to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and maintaining a 3-0 record in the postseason. Central to this success was wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who recorded 119 receptions for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season. His performance earned him the Offensive Player of the Year honour and a record-breaking four-year, $168.6 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.
Despite these achievements, Smith-Njigba publicly highlighted a significant error on his official award. In a video posted to Instagram, the 24-year-old revealed that the trophy engraved by the NFL read "Defensive Player of the Year" rather than "Offensive." The engraving also contained a typographical error where the words "the" and "year" were merged into "theyear," resulting in the phrase "2025 Defensive Player of theyear."
Smith-Njigba expressed frustration with the oversight, stating, "It's getting disrespectful, guys." He suggested that the league should "Just keep the award at this point" and "Leave it in the history books," indicating a growing concern over the treatment he receives from the league office. The incident underscores a procedural distinction within the NFL, where the league office is responsible for manufacturing the physical trophies, while the Associated Press handles the voting process for the awards.
This controversy follows a previous incident at the NFL Honors ceremony, where comedian Druski mispronounced Smith-Njigba’s surname, resulting in a racial slur. Druski subsequently apologised for the error. The trophy engraving mistake marks the second instance in which Smith-Njigba has cited disrespect from the league in relation to his award recognition.
Smith-Njigba’s on-field accomplishments remain historically significant, as he became the fifth player in NFL history to lead the league in receiving yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season. He joins an elite group including Drew Pearson, Jerry Rice, and Cooper Kupp. Over 20 total games, Smith-Njigba recorded 1,989 receiving yards, ranking as the third-highest single-season total in NFL history.
