From a Blood-Clot Comeback to the Rose Ceremony: Commanders QB Sam Hartman Named ABC's Next 'Bachelor'

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman will hand out the roses on the 30th season of ABC's "The Bachelor," the network revealed Friday morning on "Good Morning America". The milestone season is set to premiere Sunday, March 21, 2027, at 8 p.m. on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu, Deadline reported, adding that the show is returning after skipping the 2025-26 television season.

Hartman, 27, is on Washington's practice squad, according to Deadline, which noted that he is the latest professional athlete the franchise has recruited to lead a season. CBS Sports reported that Hartman has been with Washington since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and has not yet appeared in a regular-season NFL game.

Hartman's football story is one of persistence. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native starred at Wake Forest before transferring to Notre Dame for his final college season in 2023, according to CBS Sports, and Variety reported that he set Atlantic Coast Conference records for career touchdown passes and 300-yard passing games.

His path was not easy. In 2022, while at Wake Forest, Hartman was diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a condition involving a blood clot, NBC Washington reported. He fought his way back to the field and later received the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award, which honors the conference's most courageous football player, the station noted.

The pro game has tested his patience too. NBC Sports reported in late August that Washington released Hartman during final roster cuts, and that after he cleared waivers the team brought him back to its practice squad, a move it has made with him more than once. The timing of the show should not collide with football: CBS Sports reported that filming is slated for early 2027, during the NFL offseason.

Speaking on "Good Morning America," Hartman admitted the new role is a leap. "I'm excited but also very nervous," he said.

He told the program he hopes to find a partner with a drive for something that gets her up every morning, along with compassion and a caregiving heart, qualities he tied to his family's background in medicine, according to ABC.

Hartman is not the first quarterback to take the lead. Deadline pointed out that Jesse Palmer, a former NFL quarterback who now hosts the franchise, headlined the show's fifth season.

It is a fresh chapter for a young man who battled back from a serious health scare, kept grinding as an undrafted rookie and now says he is looking for a partner defined by compassion, commitment and drive. Washington fans, meanwhile, will be watching how their practice-squad quarterback balances the rose ceremonies with his football career in the months ahead.

Liberty Bell Report will update this story as ABC and the Commanders release more details about the season and Hartman's plans.