As the Seattle Seahawks prepare for Super Bowl LX this Sunday, one player got some recognition at the NFL Honors on Thursday night.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba received the award for NFL Offensive Player of the Year, after putting up record setting numbers in the 2025 NFL season. Smith-Njigba racked up 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while averaging over 100 yards per game, a highly impressive clip.
His 1,793 receiving yards were the eighth most in a single season in NFL history. Ironically enough, his teammate, Cooper Kupp, is No. 2 on that list for his 1,947 yards in the 2021 season when he was with the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite the honor that comes with the award, Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks felt slighted by the presenter, comedian and online personality Druski, who mispronounced his name multiple times while accompanied on stage by NFL legend Barry Sanders.
Seahawks Slam Druski for Disrespect Towards Smith-Njigba
When the time came to announce JSN as this years OPOY, Druski initially got the pronunciation of his name correct, before mispronouncing it in a disrespectful and inappropriate way. Whether it was for comedic purposes or not, it came across as a slight to JSN and Seattle.
“The winner decided not to pull up tonight so, I guess on his behalf: Jaxon Smith-Njigba; N****ba, N****ba, Najeeba,” Druski said.
Sanders corrected him before Druski just said “JSN,” to finish the statement.
Shortly after the awards ceremony, the Seattle Seahawks PR X account made a post defending their player and Barry Sanders for having to sit through the mispronunciation.
“Hall of Famer Barry Sanders drew the short straw getting stuck with Druski’s big whiff tonight. Put some respect on Seahawks WR [Jaxon Smith-Njigba]’s name,” the statement read.
Smith-Njigba is the second Seahawk in franchise history to win OPOY, with the other being running back Shaun Alexander back in 2005.
Smith-Njigba beat Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson for the award.
Smith-Njigba and Seattle Preparing For Super Bowl LX
Now that all of the chaos of the NFL Honors is behind us and the media portion of Super Bowl week is coming towards a close, the Seahawks can finally put all their attention on the New England Patriots and Super Bowl LX this Sunday.
Seattle is heading into the Super Bowl as 4.5 point favorites over New England. They trounced the 49ers 41-6 in the Divisional round before out-classing the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship.
Meanwhile, the Patriots had to play three playoff games, where they won 16-3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, 28-16 against the Houston Texans, and 10-7 against the Denver Broncos. New England’s defense has been its saving grace in the playoffs to this point, while the Seahawks’ offense has been their main catalyst.
And while that should be the biggest key for both teams, New England’s offense with Drake Maye is due to get hot again, while Seattle’s defense is absolutely no slouch itself.
Super Bowl LX between the Seahawks and Patriots kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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