The NFL's 2026 schedule is out. The league will be opening the 2026 regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. The Seattle Seahawks are set to take on the New England Patriots in the first game of the season.
Seattle, which had an impressive 29-13 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX, was linked to several different opponents for the Week 1 game. Some thought a Week 1 matchup against the Rams or 49ers would be fun. Others felt that a big name in the AFC could travel to Seattle for Week 1.
But, at the end of the day, we got a Super Bowl LX rematch. NFL fans don't seem thrilled with that. The game between the Seahawks and the Patriots was a rather boring one, as Seattle was clearly the better, more dominant team.
Vrabel and Russini.Russini/IG
But it's been nothing like a boring offseason for the Patriots, thanks to Mike Vrabel and his controversy with Dianna Russini.
According to one longtime sports host, the Vrabel and Russini controversy actually influenced the 2026 schedule decisions.
NFL picked Patriots, Seahawks because of Vrabel scandal
Jim Rome says the schedule move was nothing to do with a Super Bowl rematch, but rather the Vrabel storyline.
“Has a Super Bowl rematch ever meant less?” asked Rome on Friday’s show. “This Super Bowl rematch has nothing to do with a Super Bowl rematch and everything to do with the public fascination with the Patriots’ head coach, his personal life, and where his career goes from here. That’s what that’s about.”
Rome thinks it's clear.
“Just imagine this Super Bowl rematch ends up being a Super Bowl replay, and the Patriots get their heads caved in again. Man, imagine if Vrabel gets blown out on opening night after the offseason from (expletive). Imagine how insane the narratives and the overreaction and the lava pigs and the pearl-clutching and the histrionics and the hysterics are all going to be if that’s how it goes down on opening night. Imagine all that. Oh, you know who already did imagine all that? The Shield. The Shield, obviously.
“That’s why they gave us that game. That’s why they knew they could upstage the entire schedule release [Thursday] with one simple post, with one simple graphic… They knew they would upstage the entire thing by giving us Vrabel as soon as they possibly could. Sorry to the 32 teams. Sorry to the 32 production budgets. Sorry to these social media teams that have spent countless months getting ready for their big night, for their own Super Bowl. The Shield just owned all your (expletive) yesterday.”
The Patriots will have the spotlight on them this fall – but for more reasons than one.
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
