Adam Schefter on the @PatMcAfeeShow when asked about the NFL’s 2026 season opener:
“My guess right now is that it will be the Bears in Seattle for the Wednesday night opener against the Seahawks”
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Head coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
The NFL schedule release is still a few days away, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter may have just dropped the biggest hint yet regarding the Chicago Bears’ Week 1 matchup.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Monday morning, Schefter was asked about the NFL’s possible 2026 season opener. He pointed directly toward a blockbuster showdown involving the Bears and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Adam Schefter on the @PatMcAfeeShow when asked about the NFL’s 2026 season opener:
“My guess right now is that it will be the Bears in Seattle for the Wednesday night opener against the Seahawks”
👀
“My guess right now is that it will be the Bears in Seattle for the Wednesday night opener against the Seahawks,” Schefter said.
That comment immediately sent Bears fans into a frenzy, especially considering how many league insiders seem to be circling around the exact same matchup ahead of the official schedule release on May 14.
The potential opener would feature two of the NFL’s biggest storylines colliding right out of the gate: reigning Super Bowl champions versus one of the league’s fastest-rising young teams led by quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson.
Schefter is not the only major NFL insider connecting the Bears to Seattle for Week 1.
Mike Garafolo also recently explained why Chicago makes the most sense for the opener, especially after several other potential Seahawks opponents were effectively ruled out.
“Not feeling a (Super Bowl) rematch so early and Mahomes uncertainty,” Garafolo said. “Has long felt like Chicago to me.”
That Super Bowl rematch comment referenced the possibility of Seattle opening against the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the “Mahomes uncertainty” note referenced concerns surrounding Patrick Mahomes and his recovery timeline from ACL surgery.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants were also eliminated from consideration after the NFL officially announced Monday morning that the two NFC East rivals will face each other in Week 1.
That leaves Chicago as arguably the league’s most attractive ratings draw for Seattle’s opener.
Nationally, the Bears remain one of the NFL’s biggest television brands. But the excitement surrounding Williams entering Year 3 has only amplified the hype. Add in Johnson’s arrival after transforming the Bears into NFC North champions last season, and the matchup suddenly feels tailor-made for a prime-time spotlight.
If Schefter’s prediction proves accurate, Chicago would begin the season with one of the league’s most difficult possible tests.
According to Sharp Football Analysis founder Warren Sharp, the Bears currently own the sixth-toughest strength of schedule in the NFL based on projected Vegas win totals.
Chicago’s 2026 slate includes games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Seahawks, among several other playoff contenders.
Opening the year in Seattle against the defending champions would instantly give the Bears an opportunity to prove they belong among the NFC’s elite.
And from the NFL’s perspective, it is hard to imagine a better way to launch the 2026 season than putting one of football’s most exciting young quarterbacks on the field against the reigning champs.
Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum is a Content Programming Assistant with the NFL and college football, NFL and MLB reporter for Heavy Sports. He has also worked with FOX Sports, the Big Ten Network, and RotoWire. More about Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum
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