The Seattle Seahawks will play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday, allowing the franchise to end the season with the most coveted NFL trophy. The Seahawks arrived at this point by putting together a complete team, with established veterans dominating, and some exciting newcomers quickly finding their footing.
One of those newcomers is Grey Zabel, Seattle’s first-round left guard. The talented lineman could one day be the winner of the NFL’s new Protector of the Year award, and he spoke about that on Monday at Super Bowl media night. The rookie said it’s super cool that offensive linemen now have an award to chase, and acknowledged how tough it will be to award just one lineman each season.
While Zabel is excited to be in that race throughout his career, he still made it clear that his top priority will always be winning the Lombardi trophy. He’ll have the opportunity to do that in his first season on Sunday.
Grey Zabel is excited about the NFL finally recognizing offensive linemen with an end of season award that gives them something to chase, too! #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/0YZBkdrOY0
— Sara Marshall (@smarshxo) February 3, 2026
Seahawks' Grey Zabel is excited about offensive linemen award but keeps focus on Super Bowl
That mindset pretty much represents the entire Seahawks team. All season long, they have proven to be a selfless team that keeps winning as the main priority. Seattle doesn’t care how it’s done or who gets the credit. Everyone is happy for everyone else’s success, and a Super Bowl victory would be each player on the team winning an award.
Zabel will certainly do his part to contribute to that, like he has all season. After being drafted with the 18th-overall pick in the 2025 Draft, he started every game for Seattle this year. It was immediately clear that he’s well on his way to being one of the best linemen in the NFL, so a Protector of the Year award could very much be in his future.
This season, the first-ever finalists for the award are Denver Broncos tackle Garett Bolles, Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, and Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell. Grey Zabel isn't getting the recognition yet, but it seems like he’s just fine with playing for a Super Bowl win.