The NFL schedule release is one of the most exciting times of the offseason, and for Jacksonville Jaguars fans, the countdown is officially on. The 2026-27 regular season slate drops later this week, and while we already know who the Jags will face—and have a good idea of where—the exact dates and times are still under wraps. That hasn't stopped the rumors from heating up, though.

At rookie minicamp on Saturday, head coach Liam Coen gave fans a glimpse into his game-planning mindset. He admitted he'll check the schedule and Week 1 opponent "relatively quickly," eager to start tailoring the offseason program. "It just gives you a little bit of excitement," Coen said. "Something to start diving into that we can start to almost incorporate in our offseason program is, alright, let's throw some stuff that we know we're going to install, right? And things that we know we're going to run that may be something that pops up on tape that we would envision knowing that we're going to run in Week 1. Well, let's start to sprinkle that in throughout the offseason and see what that looks like." He even hinted at a sneaky approach: "Maybe even throw it up against some of the looks that we could present. Well, Week 1, I'd say probably towards the end of minicamp we'll do blitz, BPU, just the offense against all of our Week 1 opponent pressures. We won't tell them probably in that moment that these are opponent X's third-down pressures, but we will card them, we will script them, we will rep them out here without them knowing."

Before diving into the latest leaks, let's recap the Jags' already-set 2026 opponents. One big rumor has already been confirmed: Jacksonville will host the Pittsburgh Steelers at EverBank Stadium, not in London. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Jaguars exercised their right to "protect" two home games from international selection, and the Steelers made the cut. That's a major win for fans hoping to see a classic AFC showdown on home turf.

But the international flavor isn't gone entirely. Per @NerdingonNFL, the Jaguars are slated to face the Houston Texans in Week 6—Sunday, Oct. 18—at Wembley Stadium in London. It's a familiar spot for Jacksonville, which has made London a second home in recent years, and it sets up a key divisional battle across the pond.

As for the bigger picture, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Jaguars at +2500 odds to win Super Bowl LXI. That's a long shot, but with Coen's meticulous planning and a schedule that's starting to take shape, there's plenty of reason for optimism. After all, as one source put it, the Jags are going 17-0 regardless. We'll see if that bold prediction holds up when the full schedule drops later this week.