As defending Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks will kick off the NFL season on Wednesday, September 9. With a 2026 contest in the Emerald City, the Kansas City Chiefs would nominally be a strong candidate for the showcase appearance.
Per the Chiefs chairman and CEO, however, Kansas City does not expect to draw the assignment.
The NFL schedule will drop on May 14. That date will be too early to know the Week 1 status of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is attempting to be ready to open the season after tearing multiple knee ligaments late in the 2025 campaign.
Mahomes has continually insisted that his goal is to be ready to start the season, and he took league media by storm last week by releasing via social media a video of him throwing. His overall timeline remains uncertain, and missing the first part of the 2026 season remains a possibility.
The Chiefs will undoubtedly play in primetime multiple times next season. Don’t be surprised, however, if the top exposure comes after the first month, when there will be less concern about whether Mahomes will actually be playing.
