Could the Seahawks Have the Offensive Player of the Year?
The Seahawks offense has been explosive through six weeks. After struggling in Week One, the team figured it out in Week Two and has been cruising. The team currently sits at 27.7 points per game, which puts them fifth in the league. While there’s talent all around the field, there’s one man who’s the driving force behind this offensive machine. In his third season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has blossomed into a dominant top-ranked wide receiver. Smith-Njigba spent his rookie year in the shadow of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. He had a breakout year in 2024, putting up 100 catches and over 1,100 yards. In 2025, with Metcalf and Lockett out of the picture, it’s Smith-Njigba’s team, and he is on pace to surpass last year’s numbers and break an NFL record.
Through Week Six, Smith-Njigba has 696 receiving yards, which puts him first in the league. He sits 80 yards ahead of Puka Nacua, doing it in way less catches. Smith-Njigba has 42 catches to Nacua’s 54, leading him to average over five yards more per catch. With Nacua now dealing with an ankle injury, Smith-Njigba is set to widen the gap between the two. The only knock on Smith-Njigba’s potential Offensive Player of the Year campaign is that he only has three touchdown catches, which puts him tied at fourth in the league. The touchdown numbers aren’t great, but if Smith-Njigba continues to play at this level, the touchdowns will come in time.
With his current pace of 116 yards per game, Smith-Njigba could potentially break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record. In 2012, Johnson put up 1,964 yards in 16 games to set the record. Smith-Njigba gets the benefit of an extra game, and his current pace would put him at 1,972 yards, surpassing Johnson by just eight yards. The last receiver to come close to this record was Smith-Njigba’s teammate, Cooper Kupp. In 2021, Kupp put up 1,947 yards en route to a Super Bowl win and an OPOY nomination. While it is unlikely that Smith-Njigba keeps this pace up the entire season, getting anywhere close to these numbers would be enough to make Smith-Njigba a solid contender for OPOY.
