Super Bowl 60 was the biggest game of Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s career. And yet, the days before Seattle’s victory were obfuscated by headlines from the NFL Honors, where Smith-Njigba was thrust into headlines.
Druski presented Smith-Njigba’s Offensive Player of the Year award, but did so while intentionally fumbling his name on national television. It’s safe to say the receiver wasn’t happy with the transgression.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Ignores Druski’s Congratulatory Message
Smith-Njigba was a relative non-factor in the Super Bowl, especially compared to his dominant 2025 campaign. However, with a trophy in hand and a parade secured, the Seahawks star demands respect, on and off the field.
Druski caught significant criticism for his joke. It was poorly timed and tainted the biggest individual accomplishment of JSN’s career. His NFL peers largely stood beside Smith-Njigba, and the blowback became a sidebar of the Super Bowl festivities.
On “CBS Mornings,” Druski spoke to former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson about the response to his joke and his attempt to make things right.
“I like to mess around,” Druski said. “And sometimes, you can go too far. I even hit him up. I reached out with congratulations to him, the team for the Super Bowl; that was an amazing thing. I didn’t get no response back, but I reached out to him. I tried!”
Druski says he reached out to JSN after botching his name while presenting the Offensive Player of the Year award at NFL Honors. JSN never responded, Druski says pic.twitter.com/kCDctLFTgC
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) February 19, 2026
Of course, Smith-Njigba is under no obligation to grant an apology. Names have an inherent meaning and importance, and his breakout season is more than enough ammo to graduate past being the butt of the joke.
By PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metric, Smith-Njigba ranked second, behind only division rival Puka Nacua. He caught 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors while setting the franchise record for receiving yards. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons and has surpassed 1,000 yards for the second year in a row.
Ultimately, Druski feels his transgression was a whiff, but a justified swing given the massive stage.
“We talk about walking the line of comedy, sometimes you do have to take that chance,” he added. “I think it’s not all gonna be a successful hit. Nothing you do in anything when you try to pursue greatness is gonna be success, success, success.”
Success defined Smith-Njigba’s season, from the box score to football immortality. Emerging as an elite receiver on the league’s best team, the reaction to Druski’s joke might be a warning to others looking to poke fun at Seattle’s superstar.
