The NFL could have a tough time finding a team for “Hard Knocks” this year, and that’s because HALF of the teams eligible to be on the show don’t seem to have any interest in being on the show and that might be one big reason why it’s taken so long for the league to pick a team.
The NFL calendar has now hit June and the league still hasn’t made an announcement about which team will be getting the “Hard Knocks” treatment this year. Last year, the announcement of the team was made in March.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the “Hard Knocks” formula, a team doesn’t have to be on the show if ANY of the three rules below applies to them:
They have a first-year head coach in place.
They have a playoff berth in the past two seasons.
They have appeared on “Hard Knocks” in the past 10 years.
For instance, the Broncos don’t have to be on the show in 2023 because they’ll have a new head coach. The Patriots won’t have to be on the show because they’ve made the playoffs at least once in the past two seasons and the Cowboys won’t have to be on the show because they’ve appeared on “Hard Knocks” in the past 10 years.
When we factor in those three rules and apply them to everyone, we’re left with just four teams that the NFL can force to be on “Hard Knocks” this year:
New York JetsChicago BearsNew Orleans Saints Washington Commanders
The obvious choice here would seem to be the Jets, who are now one of the most fascinating teams in the NFL thanks to the addition of Aaron Rodgers. However, I wouldn’t go betting anything on the Jets getting picked because they don’t seem too excited at the idea of landing on “Hard Knocks.”
Jets special teams captain Justin Hardee wants nothing to do with the show, which he believes would be a distraction.
Jets owner Woody Johnson and head coach Robert Saleh were both asked this offseason how they felt about being on “Hard Knocks” and…
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