NFL Misengraves Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 2025 Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year
Updated
Updated · NBC Sports · May 19
NFL Misengraves Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 2025 Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year
5 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · May 19
Jaxon Smith-Njigba revealed on Instagram that his 2025 Offensive Player of the Year trophy is engraved “Defensive Player of Theyear,” with both the award title and spacing wrong.
In the video, the Seahawks receiver called the mistake “disrespectful” and said the NFL could “keep the award at this point” rather than send him the flawed trophy.
The Associated Press runs the voting for NFL Honors awards, but the NFL makes the trophies, meaning the error appears to have come from the league’s engraver and went unnoticed before presentation.
The blunder undercut recognition for Smith-Njigba’s award-winning season and is likely to force the NFL to issue a corrected trophy.
Did the NFL's trophy blunder mean Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett also received an incorrect award?
After a mispronounced name and wrong award, is the NFL's treatment of its star receiver a pattern of disrespect?
Will the NFL's misprinted trophy for its top offensive player now become a priceless collector's item?