Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba now finds himself in the MVP conversation after two outstanding weeks to being the NFL season. Last year, Smith-Njigba won the Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 1829 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns. However, after two games in the 2026 NFL season, Smith-Njigba has 277 yards and 4 touchdowns. He became the second player in the history of the NFL to score all of their team’s touchdowns to begin a season.
On Rich Eisen and Chris Brockman’s Overreaction Monday, the two analysts discussed the star wide receiver’s status among the best players in the league. Brockman proposed that “it’s early, but JSN should be in every MVP discussion moving forward.” Eisen agreed that this is not an overreaction, listing stats that rank him as the most productive receiver in the NFL since becoming the main weapon in Seattle.
When the Seattle Seahawks traded away DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers and cut long-time veteran Tyler Lockett, it seemed impossible to envision this future for Smith-Njigba. It remained obvious that he was a capable NFL wide receiver after an impressive Sophomore season. However, the leap he has made into the upper echelon of players in the NFL is extraordinary.
Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba is Now an MVP Candidate
After the 31-7 win against the Arizona Cardinals, Smith-Njigba became the third player in Seattle Seahawks history to post at least 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He joined Lockett and Hall of Famer Steve Largent on that list. Since the start of last season, Smith-Njigba has 11 games of at least 100 receiving yards. The only player within reach is Jamarr Chase with seven. The last 22 games of Smith-Njigba have shown how valuable he is to what the Seattle Seahawks want to accomplish.
With Sam Darnold injured, Drew Lock has been able to get Smith-Njigba the ball reliably while looking like one of the better quarterbacks in the league to begin the year. However, so much credit needs to go to Smith-Njigba’s football intelligence and elite intangibles that make him such a powerful weapon. While the MVP is typically a quarterback award, there is no reason to believe that Smith-Njigba cannot be a candidate for the title at the end of the year. He still is producing at an elite level without Darnold.
The MVP Award Has Steep Competition So Far In 2026
Despite the developing argument for his MVP status, Smith-Njigba still has a lot to accomplish before supplanting one of the elite quarterbacks for the award. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen ranks on top of the odds board at +250 after two amazing performances. Other quarterbacks such as Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott also rank inside the top six for MVP honors. Smith-Njigba ranks 19th at +6500 tied with Derrick Henry. Certainly, with the conversations ongoing about his level of play, those odds should shrink as the season continues. There should be little doubt about his ability to continue this type of production.
Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba Now In “MVP Discussion”