Jaxon Smith-Njigba blasts NFL over embarrassing trophy mistake

Nypost · May 19, 2026 · 362 words · By Ryan Anderson

Athlete Recognition NFL Administrative Error

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/sports/jaxon-smith-njigba-blasts-nfl-over-trophy-m…

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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“The league made an embarrassing engraving error on the Offensive Player of the Year trophy issued to Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Offensive Player of the Year trophy contained an engraving error.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) is an annual award presented by the Associated Press (AP) to the offensive player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have had the most outst…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_NFL_Offensive_Player_of_the…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba ( in-JIG-bə; born February 14, 2002), also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NF…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxon_Smith-Njigba

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeremiah Smith (born November 29, 2005) is an American college football wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a freshman in 2024, Smith broke the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Smith_(American_footb…

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“Smith-Njigba, who was named the 2025 AP Offensive Player of the Year following a dominant season”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including news reports and a Wikipedia snippet, confirm Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named the 2025 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Drew Desbordes (born September 12, 1994), known professionally as Druski, is an American comedian, actor, and influencer. He is known for his sketch comedy, Coulda Been Records, and collaborations wit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druski

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“revealed the issue in a video posted to his Instagram Story Monday night.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the trophy error is widely reported, the specific detail about an Instagram Story posted on a Monday night is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, though the event itself is corroborated.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba (/ ɪnˈdʒɪɡbə / in-JIG-bə; born February 14, 2002), also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Footba…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxon_Smith-Njigba

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web search NEUTRAL — What is the meaning of the name Jaxon? Discover the origin, popularity, Jaxon name meaning, and names related to Jaxon with Mama Natural’s fantastic baby names guide.
https://www.mamanatural.com/baby-names/boys/jaxon/

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 23, 2026 · The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
https://www.nfl.com/news/jaxon-smith-njigba-seahawks-four-ye…

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“In the clip, the trophy he received appeared to incorrectly read “2025 Defensive Player of the Year,” along with additional engraving mistake, including a missing space in “The Year.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the trophy incorrectly read 'Defensive Player of the Year'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Seattle Seahawks' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 16th under general manager John Schneider, and their second under head coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Seattle_Seahawks_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Klint Alexander Kubiak (born February 17, 1987) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klint_Kubiak

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy attempted to ease concerns, telling The Athletic the mistake was a basic spelling error that listed “Offensive” as “Oefensive” rather than a mislabeled award.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Athletic the error was a misspelling ('Oefensive') is corroborated by multiple search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NFL draft was the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit on Apr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NFL_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brian Schottenheimer (born October 16, 1973) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Schottenheimer

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Urlacher

+ 3 more evidence sources

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““The league made the mistake. We sincerely apologize to Jaxon for the error and are in the process of creating and shipping him a new trophy,” McCarthy told The Athletic.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the NFL apologized and is replacing the trophy.

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web search NEUTRAL — The league has responded and apologized, but with a twist. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Athletic on Tuesday that it wasn’t a “Defensive” error, but a misspelling of “Offensive” as “Oefensi…
https://www.fieldgulls.com/seattle-seahawks-news/168564/nfl-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The NFL mistakenly engraved Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Offensive Player of the Year trophy with a typo. The league has apologized and will replace it with a corrected version.
https://xeber.world/en/article/nfl-to-replace-jaxon-smith-nj…

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web search NEUTRAL — NFL sending Jaxon Smith-Njigba new Offensive Player of the Year trophy after typo - The Athletic. 2 hours ago.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

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“The 24-year-old receiver posted 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, leading the league in receiving yards.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results confirm the exact stats: 119 receptions, 1,793 yards, and 10 touchdowns, leading the league in receiving yards.

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web search NEUTRAL — Smith-Njigba led the league in 2025 with 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, adding 17 catches for 199 yards and two scores in the playoffs.
https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2026/02/09/sier…

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web search NEUTRAL — He led the league with 119 receptions and 1,793 receiving yards while adding 10 touchdowns, setting franchise records and emerging as the focal point of Seattle’s offense.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/seahawks_make_histor…

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web search NEUTRAL — At season’s end, JSN has 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 TDs, all three of which are good for top 10 in the league. The first two stats are also new single-season records for Seattle wide receiv…
https://www.fieldgulls.com/seattle-seahawks-game-analysis/15…

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“His receiving yardage was the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that his 1,793 receiving yards are the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.Smith-Njigba was selected 20th overall b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxon_Smith-Njigba

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web search NEUTRAL — Why Jaxon Smith-Njigba is SN's 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Smith-Njigba had a huge season with his 119 catches on 163 targets for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns. …
https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/nfl/seattle-seahawks/news/ja…

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web search NEUTRAL — What A Season For Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The 23-year-old wide receiver led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history.
https://1130thetiger.com/ixp/151/p/jaxon-smith-njigba-nacogd…

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“and accounted for 44.1% of Seattle’s receiving yards and 36.6% of the team’s receptions.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific percentages of the team's receiving yards and receptions.

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“For a player coming off a first-team All-Pro campaign”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided to confirm whether Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named a first-team All-Pro.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba blasts NFL over embarrassing trophy mistake

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