Why Seahawks Were Chosen For 'Hard Knocks' Despite Winning Super Bowl

The Seattle Seahawks are going to the silver screen this offseason.

Months after winning Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots, the Seahawks will be the featured team for HBO's Hard Knocks, which will premiere this summer. ESPN insider Adam Schefter was the first to report the news.

The Seahawks will be featured on this summer’s Hard Knocks.

The Patriots will be featured on the 2027 summer Hard Knocks.

The two teams in this past season’s Super Bowl will take center stage again the next two summers. pic.twitter.com/oDrILZBgVc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 31, 2026

Seahawks to 'Hard Knocks'

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It's a bit of a surprise to see the Seahawks as the feature team on Hard Knocks because there used to be a rule that would prevent a playoff team from being the team featured in the documentary. However, there was a revision to the rules in 2025.

According to the revision, the only exemptions that the league has created are teams that have not been featured on the Hard Knocks: Training Camp edition for the previous eight seasons (2018-2025), does not have a first-year head coach, and is not exempt from from selection based on club participation in "Hard Knocks" or a similar access show prior to 2025 pursuant to parameters that existed at the time of such club's prior participation.

The Seahawks do not fit any of these categories, so that makes them eligible to participate in the program.

It's not a surprise that the league would want the Seahawks to be the featured team on Hard Knocks because they have a lot of intriguing storylines going into the year, especially as the defending Super Bowl champions.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is going into training camp as the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, based on his new four-year, $168.6 million extension that he signed in the offseason. On top of that, the team has a new offensive coordinator in Brian Fleury, so there will be some adjustments to make on that side of the ball.

The Seahawks will also likely bring in a rookie running back that could look to take over the starting job after Kenneth Walker III left in free agency to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL.

Other players like wide receiver Jake Bobo, quarterback Sam Darnold and linebacker Ernest Jones IV could also be featured heavily on the series for their connections to the team.

The season is expected to last five episodes and start in the first week of August. Fans can watch the documentary on HBO or stream it on the HBO Max app.

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