Hard Knocks is headed to New York this training camp, and the team that is slated to appear on the show seems pretty upset about the arrangement. Last week, it was announced that the New York Jets were selected from the list of eligible teams — the Bears, Commanders, Jets, and Saints — to appear on HBO’s annual series that takes football fans inside of training camp.
The problem here is that the Jets have been pretty clear in their desire to avoid the show, with head coach Robert Saleh saying earlier this offseason that Hard Knocks is not for them and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers saying “they forced it down our throats” after the decision was made. And on Monday’s episode of Get Up!, ESPN’s Adam Schefter made clear that the Jets are going to take a more reserved approach to things.
“The Jets fought it all along,” Schefter said at the 2:50 mark of the above video. “They met with NFL Films, and told them clear as day: We don’t want to do this. And while you’re all talking about the last time the Jets did it with Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum, they were along for the ride. This group is not along for the ride, and Hard Knocks will not be the same because they’re not gonna be given the same access. The Jets don’t believe it’s human to show players being released, so it would surprise me if we see them this summer.
“This is a partnership, this is a relationship, and the Jets are not interested in being partners with NFL Films, no matter what they say,” he continued. “So, they’re gonna go in there because it is, as Aaron Rodgers says, being forced down their throats. But the Jets are not going to provide the level of cooperation that the Lions provided last year or that other teams have provided in other years. And essentially, in the end, because the Jets were unwilling to go along with it, and because the Commanders don’t have the new owner approved yet and the league couldn’t go there, the league wanted to go to the Jets. The Jets didn’t want [it]. That’s why they waited until last week, because there was no other option and the league said, essentially, to the Jets, you’re doing it and that’s the way it’s gonna go down.”
The Jets certainly deserve some credit if they’re going to look out for guys who are getting cut by not making a big deal out of that, although that appears to be more speculation by Schefter than anything. Regardless, it seems pretty clear that few, if any, folks in New York want this, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens on Hard Knocks as a result.