Jets ‘bracing’ to be on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ as Bills can decline
The leading candidate to have their own television show during the 2023 preseason is the New York Jets.
That’ll be fine with the Buffalo Bills and rest of the NFL.
HBO’s annual docuseries, “Hard Knocks,” which began in 2001, goes behind the scenes with an NFL team during their training camp.
For fans, it can be cool.
For teams, it’s viewed as a distraction.
Because of that, the NFL and HBO traditionally have a hard time finding a team that will sign up. A report indicated that the league had asked the Detroit Lions to do it for the second year in a row.
The Lions had the option to decline because they were on the show within the past 10 years, which is one of the criteria teams can use to say no. The Jets are one of four teams in that cannot say no if picked.
The criteria are as follows:
There is a first-year head coach in place.
The team had a playoff berth in either of the past two seasons.
They have appeared on “Hard Knocks” in the past decade.
In total, the four teams that currently don’t fall under this umbrella are the:
New York Jets
All that considered, per Pro Football Talk, New York is “bracing” to be the team selected. With their addition of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and huge market size, it makes sense.
Despite the negativity associated with “Hard Knocks” from the teams’ perspective, the Jets might want to be more eager to do it.
Why? The last time the Jets were on the show (2010) they reached the AFC championship game. The team with the longest playoff drought in the NFL should take that as a positive.
