Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the NFC Championship Game.
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Rams and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks just got turned up another few notches, thanks to the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
LA and Seattle had some epic battles last season, including in the NFC Championship Game.
Smith-Njigba, who is 2-4 against the Rams during the regular season in his career, is open to testing his mettle against any challengers from his NFC West rivals in a different forum.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Turns Up Intensity on Rams-Seahawks Rivalry
Darnell Wright
GettyJaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
Smith-Njigba is a guest of honor for UFC Seattle, which takes place on Saturday, March 28, and he fielded a question about which cornerbacks he would like to face in the Octagon.
“Definitely not Devon Witherspoon. He’s a wild guy,” Smith-Njigba said of his teammate. “There’s a couple guys out there. Anyone from the LA Rams or the San Francisco 49ers, I’d happily get in the ring with.”
Coach Yac 🗣
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was asked which cornerback would he like to fight in the UFC Octagon:
“There’s a couple guys out there. Anyone from the LA Rams or the San Francisco 49ers, I’d happily get in the ring with.”
🎥: @ufc
Smith-Njigba caught 17 passes for 201 yards and 1 TD against the Rams in 2025.
He has a 34-443-3 line against them in three seasons as a pro and, despite a losing record overall against them, has beaten them in the most important matchup to date.
The Rams’ roster includes Smith-Njigba’s former Ohio State Buckeyes teammate, defensive lineman Ty Hamilton, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft. However, the Rams have largely turned over their secondary–and, specifically, their cornerback room–this offseason.
The only holdovers from last season are Emmanuel Forbes and Josh Wallace.
Forbes was in his first season with the Rams, while Wallace is a former undrafted free agent and reserve, who drew one of his three career starts against the Seahawks this past season.
He has never faced newcomers Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Smith-Njigba is no stranger to trash talk, and it has not been reserved for the Rams or even the NFC West. He also said he would like to dunk on former Buckeyes teammate and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Puka Nacua Shares Sentiments About Rivalry
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
Smith-Njigba and Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua were both finalists for the Offensive Player of the Year award, which went to the Seahawks star.
They also share their passion for the rivalry between their two teams.
“I don’t like giving the Seahawks extra new motivation,” Nacua said in a clip shared by “The Arena: Gridiron” on X in February when asked which team he hated the most, adding, “And they’re not that good, actually,” before saying, “I’m trash talking.”
Nacua said, “Maybe it is the Seahawks,” who also happen to roster former Rams linebacker, Ernest Jones.
Jones took issue with Nacua’s apparent shade at Sam Darnold.
“One thing about me, and I’m going to stand on this, don’t say nothing about my teammates. Nothing. And then, you talk about my quarterback. I’m not going for it,” Jones said on “The Rich Eisen Show” in February. “I’m the ultimate teammate. Don’t say nothing about my guys, like I said. So, of course I had to respond to a old teammate of mine.”
Nacua, whose post about Darnold was not made in mockery, has also said he dislikes the color red, but does like 49ers linebacker and ad partner Fred Warner.