The Major League Baseball season hasn't even officially started, and the NFL season is still almost six months away, but the NFL is already wreaking havoc on the Seattle Mariners 2026 schedule. 

As noted on Wednesday, the 2026 NFL season will open up on Wednesday, Sept. 9 when the world-champion Seattle Seahawks kick off the campaign at 5:20 p.m. PT. The opponent for that matchup has not been revealed yet. The NFL schedule typically comes out in May.

The issue with this news? The Mariners play the Texas Rangers that night at 6:40 p.m. PT.

Let's dive into some of the logistics below:

In 2025, the Seahawks played a 1:05 p.m. PT Sunday game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Mariners playing Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers at just after 5:00 p.m. PT.

The two teams playing on the same day is not necessarily the issue, it's playing at the same time - or darn close to it.

While people attending the Seahawks game will already be in the building by the time some travelers are hitting the roadways and public transit for the Mariners game, the issue becomes what happens when the games are over?

The Seahawks game is likely to end around 8:15 p.m. PT and by the time fans get out of building and parking lot it will be closer to 9:00 p.m. PT. Because of the pitch clock, there's a chance that the Mariners game goes quick, causing fans at both games to clog up public transit and the roadways. It will be a nightmare logistically.

Not all Mariners fans are Seahawks fans and vise versa, but there's certainly a good amount of crossover. Do the Mariners want to keep this game time at 6:40 p.m. knowing that several fans will want to go to the Seahawks opener or stay home and watch the Super Bowl banner get raised? How will that impact attendance and revenue?

Sure, the Mariners could move this to a day game against the Rangers to avoid the logistical hassle, but what's the impact on the team's revenue here? Does the franchise really want to move a night game in a possible pennant race to a day game when school is back in session and fans aren't as able to come? You may not think that one game is a big deal, but you can bet the accountants in the organization do.

Both situations are likely to cause a revenue issue, but which one is more impactful?

Remains to be seen, but if I had to guess? I'd imagine the Mariners move the game to the afternoon for the good of traffic patters and community roadways, but they could hold out if they really want to.

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