Seahawks schedule reveal, ‘Hard Knocks' and more: 5 storylines to watch this summer

The Seahawks are past the draft and rookie minicamp, a time when news in the NFL can start to dwindle.

That doesn't mean things come to a stop.

Let's look at five things on the horizon for the Seahawks over the next few weeks and beyond.

Adding a veteran?

The Seahawks intriguingly still have one open spot on their roster. That's not necessarily uncommon in the offseason as roster spots come open and are filled regularly.

Still, it's worth wondering if the Seahawks have left one open for a reason.

Specifically, Seattle had veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. in for a visit last month and he remains available.

Edge rusher remains the spot of most obvious need for some depth. The Seahawks did not sign a pass rusher during the early phase of free agency nor did they take one in the draft.

The beginning of phase two of the offseason program - when most of Seattle's veterans are expected to be in attendance and teams can begin on-field workouts - might be a logical time to fill out the roster.

Beginning phase two

As mentioned above, the Seahawks on Monday will enter phase two of their offseason program, which will last for three weeks.

As stated by the NFL, during phase two: "On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills … and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.

Due to the shortened offseason from the Super Bowl, coach Mike Macdonald encouraged vets to stay at home during the first phase of the program the last two weeks to get a little more recovery time.

That phase consisted of meetings, conditioning and rehab. The vets who stayed at home were able to take part in meetings virtually. Some showed up anyway, including quarterback Sam Darnold, who was on hand last week.

While the offseason program is officially voluntary, many/most veterans are expected in town to attend this week. Last year, Macdonald cited the team having good attendance during the offseason workouts as setting the stage for the Super Bowl run, and he's hoping for a similar showing this year.

"We had great participation last year, and we've had great participation so far, so we expect the same thing from the guys,'' Macdonald said. "Part of that is our responsibility as coaches to create the environment where they feel like they're going to be better and develop their game and connect to their teammates and want to be here. It's kind of everybody's responsibility at this point in the year, but they know our expectations right now, and they've communicated that to the guys. It's kind of like a new day one starting on Monday when we start phase two."

The Seahawks will begin phase three, or what is commonly referred to as Organized Team Activities - when full-team on-field drills are allowed - on May 26. The Seahawks, though, are scheduled for just six instead of the maximum of 10, also in keeping with a plan to get players as much recovery time from last season as possible before training camp.

Waiting for the schedule to be unveiled

The general expectation around the league is that the full schedule will be released sometime during the second full week in May, most likely May 13-14, based mostly on history.

The Seahawks are most notably waiting to find out who they will host for the season opener on Sept. 9 when they will also unveil the Super Bowl banner.

The team is also waiting to learn if it will play an international game.

While the Seahawks could still be options for games in Mexico City against the 49ers and London against Washington, there haven't been many rumblings connecting Seattle to either game and the general vibe seems to be that it won't happen this year.

As for the opener, recent speculation has centered on the Chicago Bears as the most likely opponent since it can't be the Rams or 49ers (playing each other in Australia the next day) and the Kansas City Chiefs also are reportedly out since the league wouldn't want to feature them without Patrick Mahomes (it remains unclear if he'll be recovered from a knee injury by then).

Some have also wondered if the league might want to avoid tabbing the New England Patriots as the opponent due to the recent controversy surrounding head coach Mike Vrabel, which the league might feel would be a distraction from the usual happy pomp and circumstance of the season opener.

The Seahawks are also sure to get a number of other high-profile prime-time games and could be ticketed for one of the three planned Christmas games. Seattle has never played on Christmas. If not Christmas, then a Thanksgiving game could be in the offing.

Preparing for the spotlight

The offseason program might also be the last real quiet time for the Seahawks in 2026.

Once training camp begins the Seahawks will also be followed by the camera crews of "Hard Knocks," the most obvious sign of the enhanced spotlight that will be on the Seahawks all season as they attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champs.

Macdonald on Saturday said facetiously of "Hard Knocks" that "it was actually my idea to do it. I pitched it."

His real answer illustrated the pragmatic approach he can be expected to take when it comes to any added attention the Seahawks get this season, understanding that it comes with the territory - a message he is sure to emphasize to his players.

"I mean, it's OK," he said of being on "Hard Knocks." "…Honestly, it doesn't really affect (anything), like, I haven't really thought about it that much. It hasn't really affected our day-to-day. It's like, ‘OK, it's coming. Make the best of it. It will be fun.'

Weathering ownership rumors

Last week brought what momentarily appeared to be the first reports of potential buyers of the Seahawks. A few hours later, those reports - of apparent interest by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple outgoing CEO Tim Cook --- were publicly denied. As this is written, there remain no confirmed reports of any specific potential buyers of the team.

Undoubtedly, though, things are happening behind the scenes.

It's worth remembering that the team's Feb. 18 announcement said the timeline process "is estimated to continue through the 2026 offseason.''

The NFL has spring owners meetings set for May 19-20 in Orlando, Fla., when some news could possibly leak.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM.