Typo on Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Offensive Player of the Year trophy

Smith-Njigba, a Rockwall High alum, is coming off a Super Bowl win and a career year.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba won last season’s Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year, but that’s not what his trophy said.

Smith-Njigba posted on Instagram a video that showed his trophy says, “JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA 2025 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THEYEAR.”

In the video, Smith-Njigba shows the trophy and says, “I really want to expose them. It’s getting disrespectful, guys.”

Smith-Njigba then pointed to the word “Defensive” and said, “Defense? Come on, bro.”

He then pointed to “Theyear” and said, “One word? Man.”

“Its getting disrespectful at this point,” Smith-Njigba posted in a caption. “Just keep the award at this point. Leave it in the history books tho.”

Although the Associated Press handles the voting for the awards that are announced at the annual NFL Honors event, PFT has been told that the NFL, not the AP, makes the trophies. So it was a mistake made by whatever engraver the NFL hired to do the job, and a mistake no one at the NFL noticed before giving the trophy to Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba said they can keep the trophy, but the NFL should, of course, issue him a new one.

The Seattle Seahawks' star wide receiver will kick off the 2026 NFL season on NBC in a Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

That will mean a rematch of Dallas-area high school football stars, Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Rockwall) and New England cornerback Christian Gonzalez (The Colony).

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should be highly motivated after he struggled mightily in the championship game. The Seahawks, meanwhile, could send an early message about avoiding a Super Bowl hangover. One more subplot looms: Will New England head coach Mike Vrabel be on the sidelines?

The Seahawks are back on Sunday Night Football Oct. 25 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The overall quality of this game will depend on Patrick Mahomes' fitness. If he's fully healthy, it'll provide an intriguing snapshot of what Kansas City could achieve after a rare down year in the Mahomes-Andy Reid partnership run. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold will be hoping to land a win over a worthy opponent to further boost his rising credentials.