Hard Knocks is arealitysportsdocumentary television series produced byNFL Films forHBO.[1]First broadcast in 2001, the show typically follows aNational Football League (NFL) team through itstraining camp and covers the team's preparation for the upcoming football season. Beginning in 2021, the show has also dedicated an additional season of television to following an additional team throughout the NFL regular season, followed by an additional season to follow another team through the NFL offseason starting in 2024.
The series depicts the personal and professional lives ofplayers,coaches, and staff, including their family life, position battles, and even inside jokes and pranks. It particularly focuses onrookies' adjustments to playing in the NFL, usually with emphasis on the team's most recent topdraft pick. It usually also chooses to focus onundrafted andjourneyman players who are attempting to make the team.
The NFL and HBO have calledHard Knocks "the first sports-based reality series" in television history.[2][3] The 20th season featured theNew York Jets in their second appearance on the show, as well as theMiami Dolphins. In 2024, the series expanded to cover a team in the offseason (New York Giants), during training camp (Chicago Bears), and will feature an entire division during the regular season (AFC North).
The series was created byMarty Callner in 2001. It has been narrated byLiev Schreiber since its inception, with the only exception being the2007 season, which was narrated byPaul Rudd, a fan of theKansas City Chiefs, who appeared on the show that year.[4]
TheSan Francisco 49ers,Atlanta Falcons,Seattle Seahawks,Houston Texans, andWashington Redskins each declined to be the show's featured team for the 2013 season, while theCincinnati Bengals accepted, marking their second appearance on the show. NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell subsequently said that he wanted more teams to be featured on the series, on "some kind of formal rotation."[5][6]
NFL Films announced on July 18, 2013, that it had signed a multiyear contract extension with HBO to continue producing the show.[7]
In October 2013 the NFL announced that, in the absence of a team volunteering to participate inHard Knocks, the league could force a team to participate. Teams are exempt from being forced to participate in three circumstances - if they have appeared in the past ten years, if they have a first-year head coach, or they reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons.[8] The first two teams to appear after this ruling were the Falcons and the Texans, appearing on the series in 2014 and 2015 respectively, after both teams declined to appear in 2013.
In September 2021, NFL Network announced that theIndianapolis Colts would become the subject of the first ever in-season edition of the series. The series premiered in November 2021 and would have carried on through the2021–22 NFL playoffs, but the Colts did not qualify.[9]
In May 2024, the NFL announced that theNew York Giants would become the subject of the first-ever offseason edition of the series. The series would premiere in July 2024 and feature the organization's 100th season and highlight their moves from January to July of the offseason.[10]
During the 2025 offseason the rule exempting teams from participating in the series if they reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons was removed. The Buffalo Bills, who had made the playoffs the preceding 6 seasons, were selected for the show. Teams that have appeared on the training camp version of the show in the past eight seasons and teams that are part of the in-season division selected or next year's in-season division season or Hard Knocks are exempt from participating in the series.[11]
| Season | Year | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2 | 2002 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 3 | 2007 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 4 | 2008 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 5 | 2009 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 6 | 2010 | New York Jets |
| Special | 2011 | N/A |
| 7 | 2012 | Miami Dolphins |
| 8 | 2013 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 9 | 2014 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 10 | 2015 | Houston Texans |
| 11 | 2016 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 12 | 2017 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 13 | 2018 | Cleveland Browns |
| 14 | 2019 | Oakland Raiders |
| 15 | 2020 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Los Angeles Rams | ||
| 16 | 2021 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 17 | Indianapolis Colts (in season) | |
| 18 | 2022 | Detroit Lions |
| 19 | Arizona Cardinals (in season) | |
| 20 | 2023 | New York Jets |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins (in season) | |
| 22 | 2024 | New York Giants (offseason) |
| 23 | Chicago Bears | |
| 24 | AFC North (in season) | |
| 25 | 2025 | Buffalo Bills |
| 26 | NFC East (in season) |
Some of the issues covered in the 2001 Ravens season include:
Some of the issues covered in the 2002 Cowboys season include:
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The series returned on August 8, 2007, featuring theKansas City Chiefs and their preparations forthe 2007 season.[12] It is the only season of the series not narrated by Liev Schreiber. Instead, actor and Chiefs fanPaul Rudd was the narrator.[13]
Some of the issues covered in the 2007 Chiefs season include:
TheDallas Cowboys were chronicled for the second time on the television series' fourth season, which premiered on August 6, 2008.
Some of the issues covered in the 2008 Cowboys season include:
TheCincinnati Bengals season premiered on August 12, 2009.[14] Its ratings were higher than any previous season ofHard Knocks,[15] and it won twoSports Emmy Awards: one forOutstanding Edited Sports Series or Anthology, and one forOutstanding Post Produced Audio / Sound.[16]
Some of the issues covered in the 2009 Bengals season include:
TheNew York Jets were chronicled in the series' sixth season. An official announcement was made on March 25, 2010,[19] and HBO began airing it on August 11, 2010. It won the series' second consecutiveSports Emmy Award forOutstanding Edited Sports Series or Anthology.[20] The Jets declined another opportunity to appear in the series in 2011.[21]
Some of the issues covered in the 2010 Jets season include:
At the end of July 2011, NFL Films announced it would not be producingHard Knocks for the2011 season.[25] No team wanted to commit to the series due to uncertainty with theNFL's labor situation. A retrospective on the series titledHard Knocks: A Decade of NFL Training Camps was made featuring clips from every episode made to that point, and including comments looking back on the series fromBrian Billick,Shannon Sharpe,Mike Westhoff, and others.
On May 29, 2012,Miami Dolphinshead coachJoe Philbin announced that the team would participate in the 2012 season ofHard Knocks.[26]
Some of the issues covered in the 2012 Dolphins season include:
TheCincinnati Bengals were featured in the 2013 season, which was the team's second appearance on the show. The first episode of the season premiered on August 6, 2013.[34]
Some of the issues covered in the 2013 Bengals season include:
On June 12, 2014, theAtlanta Falcons announced that the team would participate in the 2014 season ofHard Knocks premiering on August 5, 2014.[35]
Some of the issues covered in the 2014 Falcons season include:
On May 27, 2015, it was announced theHouston Texans would be the team featured for the 2015 season premiering on August 11, 2015.[37][38]
Some of the issues covered in the 2015 Texans season include:
On March 23, 2016, it was announced theLos Angeles Rams would be the team featured for the 2016 season premiering on August 9, 2016.[39]
Some of the issues covered in the 2016 Rams season include:
On April 19, 2017, it was announced theTampa Bay Buccaneers would be the team featured for the 2017 season premiering on August 8, 2017.[40]
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On May 17, 2018, it was announced theCleveland Browns would be the team featured for the 2018 season premiering on August 7, 2018.
Some of the issues covered in the 2018 Browns season include:
On June 11, 2019, it was announced theOakland Raiders would be the team featured for the 2019 season premiering on August 6, 2019.[41]
Some of the issues covered in the 2019 Raiders season include:
On April 7, 2020, it was announced that theLos Angeles Rams andLos Angeles Chargers had volunteered to be featured for the 2020 season.[43] It marked the first time two teams were featured, with both teams set to play their inaugural seasons at the newSoFi Stadium. Before the Rams and Chargers volunteered, thePittsburgh Steelers were heavy favorites to appear due to the team'snational appeal and rare position to be "forced" onto the series;[44][45][46] the Steelers themselves have long opposed being featured.[47]
On June 18, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 season would premiere on August 11, 2020.[48] The format of the episodes was set to be different, on account of the NFL's cancellation of preseason games due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
On July 2, 2021, it was announced that theDallas Cowboys would be the team featured for the 2021 season premiering on August 10, 2021.[49]
On September 16, 2021, it was announced that theIndianapolis Colts would become the first team to be featured during the regular season.[50]
On March 28, 2022, it was announced that theDetroit Lions would be the team featured for the 2022 season premiering on August 9, 2022.[51]
On May 23, 2022, the Cardinals were featured as the nextIn Season team, which premiered on November 9, 2022.[52][53][54]
The selection of the team to be featured on the 20th season ofHard Knocks was hampered by various teams' unwillingness to make an appearance. NFL rules stipulate that the league cannot force a team to be on the show if they have appeared in the past ten years, they have a first-year head coach, or they reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons.[8][55] Prior to the 2023 season, only four teams (theChicago Bears,Washington Commanders,New York Jets, andNew Orleans Saints) met none of those qualifications.[55]
With no team volunteering to appear on the show, the NFL was in a position to determine which of the four eligible teams would be featured, regardless of whether or not the team itself was willing. Numerous players and coaches from the eligible teams expressed displeasure at the possibility of being chosen. Jets coachRobert Saleh stated, "I know there are several teams that would loveHard Knocks to be in their building. We're just not one of them."[55] Saints coachDennis Allen referred to the show creating "distractions" and said that he "wouldn't like it" if his team were featured, while Bears chairmanGeorge McCaskey said that he would be glad to see any team on the show except the Bears.[55]
The Jets' offseason was notable for the addition of four-timeNFL Most Valuable PlayerAaron Rodgers, who had months earlier requested a trade to New York from his former team, theGreen Bay Packers. On July 12,ESPN reported that the NFL had selected the Jets as the show's next featured team.[56][57] Rodgers later stated that "I understand the appeal with us. Obviously, there’s a of lot eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team, a lot of expectations for our squad, so, they forced it down our throats, and we gotta deal with it."[58] ESPN'sAdam Schefter subsequently reported that the Jets would deny HBO access to film some parts of training camp. One particular aspect cited was the team meeting with players to inform them that they had been cut from the roster, an element that had been featured in prior seasons of the show.[59]
On October 23, 2023, the Dolphins were featured as anIn Season team, which premiered on November 21, 2023.[60][61][62]
On May 15, 2024, it was announced that theNew York Giants would become the first team to feature their offseason. The season premiered on July 2, 2024.[63]
On May 30, 2024, it was announced that theChicago Bears would be the team featured for the 2024 season. The season premiered on August 6, 2024.[64]
Roger Goodell announced that theBuffalo Bills will be the subject of the 2025 "Training Camp" season.[65] The first of five episodes premiered on HBO on August 5, 2025.[66]
Some of the issues covered in the 2025 Buffalo Bills preseason include:
In 2004, NFL Films produced a training camp documentary series, similar toHard Knocks, featuring theJacksonville Jaguars. CalledInside Training Camp: Jaguars Summer,[67] it aired on theNFL Network and was narrated by frequent NFL Films narrator Robb Webb.[68]
Some of the issues covered in this 2004 series include:
Inside Training Camp: Jaguars Summer > Rob [sic] Webb: Narrator
