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Schedule Watch
The Schedule Drops Thursday. The Week 1 Mystery Gets Five More Days.
The NFL made it official: the full 2026 schedule releases Thursday, May 14 at 5 p.m. PT, with coverage on NFL Network, ESPN2, and NFL+. Five days from now, every Seahawks fan will know who walks into Lumen Field first for the Wednesday, September 9 opener.
That opponent list is stacked. The home slate includes the Chiefs, Cowboys, Bears, Giants, Chargers, and Patriots, plus three NFC West division games. NFL.com’s Eric Edholm already ranked his top 10 games of 2026, and the Seahawks appeared three times. The Kenneth Walker III homecoming with the Chiefs was a headliner, described as a game where the Super Bowl MVP “might earn a few pre-game cheers” before the 12s give him an earful the rest of the day.
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Times the Seahawks appear in NFL.com’s top 10 games of 2026. The Patriots and Seahawks each appeared three times.
The Bears remain the likeliest opener after ESPN’s Mike Wilbon appeared to inadvertently leak it on Get Up. A Patriots rematch would give the NFL its cleanest narrative hook. The Chiefs would bring Mahomes (health permitting) and the KW3 storyline. All we know for certain is that it’s on NBC at 5:20 p.m. PT, it’s Wednesday night football, and the city has already made room for it. The Sounders moved their September 9 match to October 1. The Mariners shifted their Rangers game to a 1:10 p.m. first pitch. Lumen Field is cleared.
Single-game tickets go on sale immediately after the schedule drops. Affordable options follow on June 2. If you’re refreshing a browser at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, you are not alone.
SOURCES →
Team Sale
A 49ers Investor Is Now Bidding on the Seahawks. Yes, Really.
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$9B+
Expected sale price, per ESPN. Would shatter the NFL record held by the Commanders ($6.05B).
Khosla joins the Mittal-Grousbeck group (Celtics ties, submitted a letter of interest to Allen & Company) as the known entrants. ESPN reports the expected sale price sits slightly above $9 billion. Sportico values the franchise at $6.59 billion, but the bidding war hasn’t started yet, and more bidders drive prices up. Zuckerberg and Cook are definitively out. Ballmer’s name keeps hovering.
The franchise was purchased for $194 million in 1997. A sale at $9 billion would represent roughly a 46x return, with proceeds going to charity per Paul Allen’s estate directive. Somewhere, a spreadsheet is crying.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The Seahawks have the youngest roster in the NFC West, per Field Gulls. The 49ers and Commanders rank 31st and 32nd in average age. Both got destroyed by injuries last year. Coincidence? Sure. A fun one, though. Field Gulls
SI on Seahawks says Derick Hall could be the next young star to leave after Walker, Bryant, and Mafe all walked in free agency. Hall is on the last year of his rookie deal. The edge room can’t afford another departure. Schneider’s checkbook just got nudged. SI on Seahawks
Darnold, Kupp, and Tory Horton were all spotted at VMAC workouts on Thursday. The voluntary program continues to look less voluntary by the day. Hard Knocks cameras will love this. Seahawks.com
The Seahawks could play an international road game in 2026. The 49ers host a game in Mexico City and the Commanders host one in London. Both are on Seattle’s road schedule. The schedule release Thursday will tell us if the title defense goes abroad. Yahoo Sports
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Stafford showed up to voluntary workouts and the Rams tweeted “We missed this” with a heart-eyes emoji, which is the organizational equivalent of posting your ex on your story to prove everything’s fine. Ian Rapoport says they’re “close on a contract extension” that would keep Stafford beyond 2026. Meanwhile, Simpson is competing with Stetson Bennett for the backup job. The Rams spent the 13th pick on a guy whose first task is beating out a player who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap in three years. Dynasty planning at its finest.
NINERS
San Francisco traded a 2026 third-round pick for Cowboys DL Osa Odighizuwa, signed Mike Evans and Christian Kirk to rework the receiver room, and lost Jauan Jennings to the Vikings on a one-year deal worth up to $13 million. Brandon Aiyuk remains AWOL. Daniel Jeremiah ranked their draft class dead last out of all 32 teams. The 49ers are the oldest roster in the NFC West and spent the offseason replacing everyone except the problems. Shanahan landed on SB Nation’s 2026 hot seat list. Nine seasons, zero rings, two Super Bowl losses. The vibes are immaculate.
CARDINALS
Arizona named Jacoby Brissett their starting quarterback for 2026. He’s 2-15 as a starter since 2024. He skipped the voluntary offseason program and is seeking a raise to starter-level money while Carson Beck, the third-round pick, waits behind him. The Cardinals also have four running backs who all think they’re RB1 after drafting Jeremiyah Love third overall. FanDuel has their win total at 4.5. The franchise isn’t in a rebuild anymore. It’s in whatever comes after a rebuild that still looks exactly like a rebuild.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Eugene Robinson spent 11 seasons as the Seahawks’ starting safety and tied for the NFL lead in interceptions in 1993, earning second-team All-Pro honors despite playing for a 6-10 team. How many interceptions did Robinson record that season?
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Nine. Robinson picked off nine passes in 1993, tying for the NFL lead, and paired it with 111 tackles. He made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 1992 and 1993 while the Seahawks went a combined 8-24 around him.
Got a Question for The Rooster?
Burning cap question? Obscure draft trivia? Want to argue about whether Schneider should sign Joey Bosa? Send it to the mailbag. I read every submission and answer the best ones in the newsletter. No question too weird. Some questions too boring. You’ll know the difference.
Five days until the schedule. Seventeen weeks until the banner goes up. Somewhere in Renton, Devon Witherspoon is doing voluntary drills that look suspiciously mandatory. Go Hawks. — The Rooster