New York Jets selected for 2023 season of Hard Knocks
The New York Jets will be the team featured on this year’s season of Hard Knocks, the popular all-access, behind-the-scenes show that showcases NFL training camp and preseason, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter. The team was the overwhelming favorite to be selected thanks to the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
In addition to adding the four-time MVP quarterback, the Jets also boast last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in receiver Garrett Wilson and Defensive Rookie of the Year in cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Jets also have running back Breece Hall, who is making his way back from a torn ACL.
That group, in addition to other former Packers like receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, has many predicting that not only will the Jets end their playoff drought, but also potentially compete for a Super Bowl.
Check-in for Jets training camp starts on July 19 with camp officially starting on the 22nd.
Hard Knocks struggled to find team for this season
The show sparked concerns about whether they’d be able to find a team to participate at all after an incredible delay in making their announcement. In 2022, the announcement that Hard Knocks would follow the Lions came out in late March.
There were only so many NFL franchises for Hard Knocks to choose from. The guidelines in previous years stipulate that a team with a new head coach, a playoff berth in the previous two seasons, or an appearance on the show in the last decade would be exempt from participating. Since most teams don’t want to deal with the distractions that the show brings, it’s no surprise they had some trouble.
Any team that does not fall under one of those three categories could be forced to bring in the HBO camera crews.
Based on those guidelines, there were just four teams that Hard Knocks could follow, unless there was another volunteer. They reportedly went after the Lions to do a second consecutive season with them, but they were turned down. The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and Washington Commanders were the only four teams that didn’t have any excuse not to be on the show.
In the past, Hard Knocks has followed 16 of the NFL’s 32 teams. The Commanders have never been on the show, and neither have the Saints or Bears. The Jets were last featured in 2010.