For the Seattle Seahawks, it all boils down to the NFC championship game on Sunday, January 25, which will pit Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and company against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. It’s been a whirlwind for Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who’s only in his second season coaching the team, as he has led this team to the No. 1 spot in the NFC and NFC West.
Back on April 8, 2024, Macdonald foreshadowed this moment. “Today, I’m going to take you here now, so stay with me,” he said in an April meeting with the team, according to the Seahawks’ official website. “I want us to take a minute here and fast forward to January, NFC championship, it’s 30-something degrees, it’s wet, it’s windy. It’s (bad) for them, but it’s just right for us. We’re loose, we’re focused, we’re confident, we just spent the last nine months stacking every opportunity that we had to put us in that position.”
He added, “The team across from us in the other locker room, they’ve seen the tape, they know what they’re in for, 11 guys playing as one, every snap. They know that we’re like that. They know that they’re facing a bunch of men that won’t give up, they know they’re facing a team that won’t die, that won’t quit. They know, it’s inevitable. So let’s go to work.”
While, Macdonald and Darnold are getting plenty of attention in the NFL, there’s another Seattle player who’s also getting props. That’s Smith-Njigba.
Seattle Seahawks Share Jaxon Smith-Njigba News
On Wednesday, January 21, the Seattle Seahawks shared the news that Smith-Njigba has been named the PFWA Offensive Player of the Year.
“He’s a great player,” Darnold said of the wide receiver earlier this season, adding that he “does a really good job of understanding the plan every single week, just his mindset going into every single game.”
Darnold added, “I feel like he’s so clear on what we’re doing as an offense and what his role is as a receiver. I can’t speak highly enough about that guy, but it really starts with days like today with the way that he prepares.”
Smith-Njigba is the third receiver to earn the PFWA’s Offensive Player of the Year award since it started in 1992.
Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, the eighth highest single-season total in NFL history, according to NFL research. He’s also up for the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year award, which will be announced at NFL Honors in February, the week of Super Bowl LX.
“The stats back it up,” Macdonald said after Smith-Njigba was awarded first-team All-Pro. “The tape backs it up this year with Jax. He earned it. Really happy for him.”
Macdonald added, “I’m sure if you asked him right now, he’d say he’s excited but we got work to do and we can celebrate it later.”
More Players in the Seattle Seahawks’ Camp Getting Honors
On Monday, January 19, the Seattle Seahawks announced that five players were selected to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-NFC Team, and on top of that, two of them were also named to the All-NFL Team.
As for the players, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and defensive tackle Leonard Williams were named both All-NFL and All-NFC, while cornerback Devon Witherspoon, punt returner Rashid Shaheed and punter Michael Dickson were also named All-NFC.
Seahawks Announce Jaxon Smith-Njigba News Before Rams Game