As the reigning champions make their franchise debut on HBO, Mike Macdonald challenges his roster to embrace the spotlight without compromising the culture that built a title.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to make franchise history.
When HBO's Hard Knocks premieres Tuesday night, Seattle will become the first reigning Super Bowl champion to be featured on the long-running training camp series. It also marks the first time the Seahawks have ever participated in the show since its debut in 2001.
For some organizations, the extra cameras can create distractions.
Head coach Mike Macdonald doesn't want that to happen in Seattle.
Rather than asking his players to be more careful or more reserved, Macdonald has encouraged them to do the opposite.
"I told the guys they are going to capture what we do, and they do a great job of doing that," Macdonald said, via Seahawks.com. "Let's be us. We want them to capture us. We are proud of who we are and how we do things, so there is really no reason to try and change anything or try to be something we are not."
That's a fitting message from the reigning Super Bowl champions.
After finishing last season atop the NFL, Seattle enters 2026 with the expectation that every opponent will be measuring itself against the Seahawks. Hard Knocks simply adds another layer of attention.
Macdonald isn't interested in letting that attention change the culture his team has built.
"You can't control what they capture, what you can control is how we go about our business," Macdonald said. "I don't know if I'll watch it, but I'll be looking forward to seeing what they come up with."
Quarterback Sam Darnold believes the locker room has taken that approach to heart.
Before filming began, Darnold admitted there were conversations among the quarterbacks about who might act differently once HBO's cameras arrived.
The answer?
"No one's really changed," Darnold said. "Which I'm proud of."
Darnold added that the cameras quickly faded into the background once practices got underway.
"After the first three or four days, you forget the cameras are there," he said. "It was nice to hear that they record 300 hours of film every single day and only one hour gets used throughout the day. That was very nice to know that."
Not everyone on the roster plans to tune in every week.
Veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed said he'll watch if he has the time, while rookie Bud Clark is eager to see how much of his mic'd-up session makes the final cut.
Darnold, meanwhile, is looking forward to seeing someone else receive the spotlight.
"He'll shine bright on Hard Knocks just for people to see his personality come to life," Darnold said of Macdonald. "He's a great guy, and obviously, we know him. We know who he is as our head coach and as a person, and I think for the entire world to see that, it's going to be really cool."
For a team coming off a championship, Hard Knocks offers fans an unprecedented look behind the curtain.
If Macdonald gets his wish, viewers won't see a team performing for television.
They'll simply see the Seahawks being themselves.
