Hard Knocks Seahawks Patriots NFL HBO

In many ways, the all-access, all-the-time NFL has evolved past Hard Knocks. But the annual infomercial masquerading as a documentary persists.

This year, the league broke new ground by announcing not only this year’s team that will be the focal point of the series but next year’s, too.

Via Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing, Adam Schefter of ESPN recently explained that the decision to lock in the next two seasons of preseason Hard Knocks resulted from the fact that teams often say “next year” when asked to serve as the subject of the show.

This year, the NFL reacted to the Patriots saying “next year” by saying, “Sold!”

That’s obviously not the best way to program the series. If the league wanted to revive the box-checking project that (if nothing else) keeps HBO in line as to any content the NFL may not like (a new-age Playmakers would be awesome), it would decide that no one can ever say “no” — and that the assignment would be determined based primarily if not exclusively on the question of which team will create the most interest in any given August.

Of course, this assumes (ass, you, me) that the NFL and its teams have genuine interest in giving the fans truly interesting content. The best Hard Knocks run in years came from the Giants in the 2024 offseason. But the reality show was a little too real for Big Blue, making it impossible for any other team to volunteer to have its building invaded by cameras and microphones for offseason strategizing that could become more than a little embarrassing.

It all comes down to what the NFL wants Hard Knocks to be. For now, it’s a perfunctory “wish you were here” postcard from camp, with far more style than substance.

Take 2026, for example. The Seahawks have just won the Super Bowl. There’s no drama. No tension. No awkward camp battles or contract issues or hot seats or anything that will make Hard Knocks must-see TV. Ernest Jones IV saying “fuck you” to the doubters will eventually stop packing much of a punch, especially as the list of doubters shrinks.

For the Seahawks, the biggest question is whether they can become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the 2022-23 Chiefs. That’s hardly compelling content.

(That said, if the Seahawks have a brash and dynamic new owner by August who is intent on fixing what isn’t broken, that would be worth the price of subscription. Assuming that angle would even be covered by Hard Knocks.)

Other than hardcore Seahawks fans who crave anything Seahawks-related they can find, will anyone be interested in an inside look at the Super Bowl LX champs?

Give us the Eagles, who seem to be at a six-way intersection of crossroads and who have plenty of compelling personalities (starting with Big Dom). Give us the 49ers, who are openly salty about being tapped for the Week 1 game against the Rams in Australia — and who’ll train in the shadow of an electrical substation that has prompted many players to wonder whether it contributes to injuries.

Give us the Jets, where Geno Smith is back and the pressure is on head coach Aaron Glenn. Give us the Bills, where the clock is ticking on Josh Allen’s prime and a new coach is trying to pick up where Sean McDermott left off. Give us the Ravens, where Lamar Jackson has a new head coach and offensive coordinator and (for now) no new contract.

Give us the Giants, where John Harbaugh is coaching a new team for the first time since 2008. Give us the Chargers, where Jim Harbaugh has hired Mike McDaniel to get the most out of Justin Herbert.

Give us the Dolphins, where Jeff Hafley is trying to turn the page on a team that can’t perform in the cold. Give us the Steelers, where Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers may be together again.

Give us the Browns, where Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson apparently will be battling for the starting job. Give us the Vikings, where Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy absolutely will be.

Give us the Lions, who are trying both to rediscover their edge and to show that Dan Campbell’s message after the 2023 NFC Championship (“this may have been our only shot”) was less Nostradamus than Knute Rockne. Give us the Bengals, where Joe Burrow seems to be thinking seriously about whether he’ll ever get the most out of his skills and abilities. Give us the Packers, where Matt LaFleur has resolved to improve communications with his players. Give us the Bears, where Ben Johnson will be constantly having something to say about Matt LaFleur, and where George Gervin may decide to stop by.

Give us the Raiders, where Kirk Cousins is the veteran and Fernando Mendoza will be learning the ropes and Tom Brady possibly will make a cameo appearance, if he can fit it into his schedule. Give us the Cowboys, where Jerry Jones inevitably will repeat his obsession with “gloryhole,” possibly while receiver George Pickens is holding out.

Basically, give us something good. Something compelling. Something that will make Hard Knocks appointment viewing. Something that sets the bar higher than George Costanza did when pitching to Russell Dalrymple a show about nothing.

In its current form, Hard Knocks has essentially become a show about nothing. Whatever the benefits to the NFL for continuing to do the show, the real question is whether the NFL should continue to produce something that falls short of the standard the league has seemingly set for everything else it touches.

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