Seahawks Could Land Massive Week 1 Showcase in 2026 NFL Season Opener

Just two more sleeps remain until the 2026 NFL schedule release hits the ESPN and NFL Network airwaves at 8 p.m. ET Thursday.

That’s now official after many in the football world assuredly squirmed over recent comments from NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North.

“Is there any magic to May 12, 13, 14? No. Is there any real down­side to May 19, 20, or 21? No,” North told the “It’s Always Game Day in Buffalo” podcast this month. “I don’t think it’s com­ing out in June, but that second week in May has been our tar­get the last few years, but I don’t know that it’s impossible to think about that third week in May.”

Get that? We know you did, because, let’s face it, this in the NFL, where even a schedule release prompts a frenzy.

Schedule makers, of course, have their craft down to a science. Setting 272 games between 32 teams across 18 weeks takes meticulous planning among NFL suits who are in sync with “thousands of cloud-based computers” that “produce thousands of possible schedules,” per NFL.com.

Society's increasing reliance on artificial intelligence aside notwithstanding, it’s surely human executives who are steering the league’s sage strategy to whet fans’ appetites in the lead-up to the full release.

Planned leaks erase and maintain intrigue all at once, as proven in the waiting game for the reigning Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle will open the 2026 season at home on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to accommodate a game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, the following night.

That matchup eliminates two of Seattle’s home opponents from the mix, as the Rams and 49ers share the NFC West with Seattle.

The NFC East's Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are set to visit Lumen Field this season, too, but neither can do so on Opening Night since the teams will tangle on Week 1 of “Sunday Night Football."

With that, it’s down to the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots as the teams to face Seattle in the season opener.

A Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots looms as a safe yet spectacular candidate, and the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams would bring lots to like after a resounding run to a division title in 2025.

Perennial contender Kansas City might have warranted greater consideration without the uncertain status of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s recovering from torn ligaments in his left knee he sustained in a loss to the Chargers late last season.

That likely leaves Arizona, 3-14 in 2025, out of the picture.

Still, the Cardinals and third overall draft pick Jeremiyah Love will visit Seattle this season among 16 other games that are just days away from being unearthed.

Yes, the schedule release is coming soon for everyone. Even the fans whose teams seemingly have sleepy outlooks in 2026 are geeked.