The Seattle Seahawks have a chance to turn their Super Bowl season into another rare piece of franchise history.
ESPN announced the nominees for the 2026 ESPYS, and the Seahawks are one of nine finalists for Best Team after winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl. The award spans every major sport, but the NFL list of winners is still short: only nine NFL teams have won Best Team since the category began.
Seattle is already on that list once.
The Seahawks won the award in 2014 after their first Super Bowl title. Now, after another championship season, they have a chance to become one of the few NFL franchises with multiple Best Team ESPY wins.
That is the real Seahawks news in ESPN’s announcement, not just that Seattle made another awards ballot, but that the franchise has a chance to join a more exclusive club after returning to the top of the NFL.
Seahawks Are Up Against Champions From Across Sports
The Seahawks are part of a crowded Best Team field that includes the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Dodgers, Indiana Hoosiers football, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Knicks, Texas Longhorns softball, Team USA men’s hockey and Team USA women’s hockey. ESPN said fan voting is open through July 15, the same day the ESPYS air on ABC and stream on the ESPN App.
Seattle also landed another major nomination: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is up for Best NFL Player along with Myles Garrett, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford.
That gives Seahawks fans two reasons to pay attention. Smith-Njigba’s nomination reflects his rise into the top tier of NFL stars, while the team nomination puts Seattle’s championship season against the best team stories from every sport.
But the Best Team race is where the historical angle gets interesting.
GettyTOPSHOT – Seattle Seahawks’ players celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
NFL Teams Have Been Winning This Award Recently
The Best Team ESPY has been awarded since 1993, with no award handed out in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The award was split into separate college and pro team honors in 2001, then rejoined in 2002. Since 2005, online fan voting has determined the winner from nominees selected by ESPN’s committee.
NFL teams have won the award nine times: the Dallas Cowboys in 1993, Denver Broncos in 1998, Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006, Indianapolis Colts in 2007, New Orleans Saints in 2010, Seahawks in 2014, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 and Philadelphia Eagles in 2025.
The recent trend is even more encouraging for Seattle. NFL teams have won three of the last five awarded Best Team ESPYS, with the Buccaneers, Chiefs and Eagles all winning after Super Bowl seasons. The Eagles were recognized as the best team in sports at the 2025 ESPYS after their championship run.
That does not guarantee anything for the Seahawks. It does show that Super Bowl winners are not just filler in this category. They have been some of the strongest contenders.
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 11: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks raises the Lombardi Trophy during the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX victory celebration and parade at Lumen Field on February 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Seahawks Can Join Rare Company With Another Win
The Seahawks’ 2014 Best Team win came after the Legion of Boom delivered the franchise’s first Super Bowl. A 2026 win would connect this year’s team to that era in a way few awards can.
It would also put Seattle in a smaller group inside an already short NFL list. The Cowboys and Yankees both appeared on the winners list multiple times in the early years of the award, and several NBA teams have repeated in the category. But for NFL franchises, multiple Best Team wins remain uncommon.
That gives the Seahawks a cleaner fan pitch than most teams in the field.
Seattle is not simply asking voters to reward one strong season. The Seahawks are asking voters to recognize another championship team from a franchise that has already proven it can break through nationally in this exact category.
The competition is legitimate. The Knicks bring a massive NBA audience. The Dodgers have baseball star power and one of the sport’s biggest fan bases. Team USA hockey has a broader national appeal. Texas softball has a repeat-title storyline after ESPN noted the Longhorns won their second consecutive national championship.
Still, Seattle’s case is strong because the recent ESPYS pattern favors exactly this kind of team: a Super Bowl champion with a fresh title, a national fan base and a star player also up for an individual award.
Seattle Seahawks Get Great News After ESPN Announcement