Hawks will open against Russ

SEATTLE — The Seahawks will open their 2022 season by welcoming Russell Wilson back to Seattle on a Monday, Sept. 12.

They will close it by welcoming Bobby Wagner and the defending Super Bowl champion Rams to Seattle on either Jan. 7 or Jan. 8 — official date and time to be determined.

Those games were the highlights of the release of the 2022 regular-season schedule, officially unveiled Thursday. The NFL earlier announced the Seahawks will play the first regular-season game in league history in Germany on Nov. 13 against Tampa Bay in Munich.

But maybe indicative of the low expectations for the Seahawks in the wake of the trade of Wilson and coming off a 7-10 season, they have just two prime-time games — the opener against Denver and a Thursday game on Dec. 15 at home against the 49ers. The last time the Seahawks had two or fewer prime-time games was 2011, the year before Wilson arrived. They had the maximum five scheduled in 2021 (but one was flexed out of prime time).

The matchup of Denver and Seattle was set long ago in the NFL’s scheduling formula, as were the rest of the opponents. The Broncos game took on added resonance when Wilson was traded to Denver on March 8.

The NFL — never one to miss a chance at maximizing hype — will try to get as much exposure out Wilson’s return to Seattle by putting it in the marquee Monday time sPot to open the season.

The opener against Denver will also be the debut for the broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on ESPN/ABC, with the network luring them away from Fox Sports in the offseason.

It also is only the second time in team history it has opened with a prime-time game. The other was in 2014, when Seattle hosted Green Bay on Thursday as the season kickoff game.

Denver was installed as a 3.5-point favorite by sportsbetting.ag, and tickets just to get in the door already were going for $271 on Vivid Seats within an hour of the announcement of the game.

The schedule features a franchise-record nine home games as the NFL went to a 17-game schedule last season, in which conferences trade off having an extra home game each year — AFC in odd years and NFC in even years.

Wilson coming back to Seattle will rank right up there — if not at the top — of other noteworthy returns of iconic figures in the city’s sports history, along with that of Lenny Wilkens in 1972, Alex Rodriguez in 2001 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 2007, to name a few.

The game will be just the third between the two teams since the Seahawks beat the Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl after the 2013 season. The Seahawks beat Denver in overtime the next season, 26-20, and the Broncos won 27-24 to open 2018.

While fans and football analysts will forever debate who won the trade, the game undoubtedly will serve as something of a referendum on which team is better off currently. While Denver got Wilson, the Seahawks got quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive end Shelby Harris in return as well as five draft picks, including two it used this year on left tackle Charles Cross (ninth overall) and edge rusher Boye Mafe (40th).

The Seahawks also got pick No. 145 this year out of the trade, which it dealt to Kansas City to move down and get another pick, selecting edge rusher Tyreke Smith at No. 158 and receiver Dareke Young at No. 233.

The Seahawks also have the Broncos’ first- and second-round picks next year as part of the deal.

The Week 2 game at San Francisco will give the Seahawks a challenging opening to the season, with the 49ers coming off a run to the NFC title game a year ago.

The Seahawks also will have four of their last five and five of their final seven at home, a forgiving end to the schedule if they can get off to a good enough start to be in playoff contention.

As expected, the Seahawks will have its bye week after the trip to Germany, after which its only two trips will be to the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City.

2022 Seahawks schedule

Sept. 12 Denver, 5:15 p.m. ESPN/ABC

Sept. 18 at San Francisco, 1:05 p.m. Fox

Sept. 25 Atlanta, 1:25 p.m. Fox

Oct. 2 at Detroit, 10 a.m. Fox

Oct. 9 at New Orleans, 10 a.m. Fox

Oct. 16 Arizona, 1:05 p.m. Fox

Oct. 23 at L.A. Chargers, 1:25 p.m. Fox

Oct. 30 N.Y. Giants, 1:25 p.m. Fox

Nov. 6 at Arizona, 1:05 p.m. FOX

Nov. 13 vs. Tampa Bay (Munich) 6:30 a.m. NFLN

Nov. 21 BYE

Nov. 27 Las Vegas, 1:05 p.m. CBS

Dec. 4 at L.A. Rams, 1:05 p.m. Fox

Dec. 11 Carolina, 1:25 p.m. Fox

Dec. 15 San Francisco, 5:15 p.m. Prime Video

Dec. 24 at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Fox

Jan. 1 N.Y. Jets, 1:05 p.m. Fox

Jan. 7/8 L.A. Rams, TBD TBD