Brad Scott hopes Essendon can become a more attractive club for potential recruits after the Bombers extended his contract as coach.

Already signed with Essendon until the end of 2026, Scott has added another year to his deal.

The former North Melbourne coach admitted the Bombers had approached him about sticking around until at least the end of 2027.

The deal was formalised on Tuesday.

"The club has been yearning for stability for a long time," Scott said on Tuesday.

"This (contract extension) hasn't been something that has been anywhere near my thinking.

"Like a lot of clubs, we're clearly going to be in the market to improve our list through all avenues.

"I don't think clubs who don't have stability are overly attractive.

"We've reset our football club over two years, and we want to show that we've got a stable base from which to build."

Essendon president David Barham described Scott as an "impressive leader".

"He has selflessly overseen a reset of our list, with 20 list changes in just two years," Barham said.

"His club-first mentality has impressed everyone, and he has accepted the challenge of rebuilding the Bombers - purposefully and respectfully - into a team that can compete at the highest level.

"He has embraced our vision for sustained long-term success."

Although Scott has dramatically "reset" the club since he took over as coach at the end of 2022, he believes Essendon can contend this year.

The Bombers' drought without a finals victory is the longest in the AFL, dating back to 2004.

"We've had an entire club reset over the last two years, we've turned over 50 per cent of our list," Scott said.

"There's been a lot of change at the football club, but we felt that was necessary change.

"Now we feel like we have a fresh base from which to launch, and that starts right now."

After their Opening Round clash with Gold Coast was postponed because of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, Essendon's campaign gets under way in the blockbuster clash with premiership favourites Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.

As expected, the Bombers will unleash exciting draftee Isaac Kako against the Hawks after an impressive summer.

Taken at pick 13 in last year's draft, the small forward produced a stunning four-goal performance in Essendon's community series win against Geelong.

Former Brisbane utility Jaxon Prior will also play his first game for the Bombers after being delisted by the reigning premiers at the end of last season.

"It feels like Isaac's been part of the fabric around here since he was 14 years of age," Scott said of the Next Generation Academy talent.

"Playing round one, his first game of his career is a great achievement, but it's felt for us like it's been a long build for him.

"He's an extremely level-headed young man.

"He stands out. He's already a fan favourite, but he's just shown a remarkable ability to focus on what we want him to focus on."