NFL teams appear to be over with Hard Knocks, especially the offseason edition. The Giants tried out the offseason edition as the first team to invite cameras to their practices and war room. After getting a close and personal view of one of the worst offseasons in NFL history, teams have been scared away from the NFL Films contract.

NFL Films and HBO teamed up and first aired Hard Knocks in 2001 for an in-season edition of the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens. It has been a controversy ever since about whether or not the crew and cameras affect everyday football operations. Some teams are okay with this and accept the offer for the revenue.

After the producers struggled to find an NFL team to make a deal with, they turned to the NCAA to try to find content. The most intriguing college team this offseason would be the Tarheels of North Carolina after a revolutionary coaching hire in Bill Belichick. Both sides were mutually interested but negotiations recently fell short. It is surprising that HBO even attempted to meet terms with a Belichick-ran team as he is not the kind of coach that would want any interference with his program.

In review, the Giants’ offseason Hard Knocks was widely popular from a production standpoint. From the organization’s point of view, it was not worth the money they received. The show turned the Giants into a laughing stock around the league the way their front office was thinking and operating. The team worsened their case by how the 2024-25 season played out. New York’s reputation was ruined by two instances in the show.

It starts with the team moving on from Saquan Barkley to go all-in on quarterback Daniel Jones. At that moment, people already disagreed with the move because of Barkley’s production and potential, and the noticeable decline of Daniel Jones’ performance. Barkley proved them wrong becoming Offensive Player of the Year, winning a Super Bowl and having 2,283 total yards on the year. NFL fans being able to see the insights of how this decision was made convinced many watching from their couches that they could become a general manager and do a better job.

The second instance was a look-in on Giant’s general manager Joe Schoen’s office. While working on his laptop, he was debating draft decisions with the sixth overall pick when his son, lying on the couch offered his advice on trading up for Jayden Daniels. To Schoen’s credit, he did attempt to do so but the Commanders were not having it. Later on in the show, viewers got to see Jayden Daniels’ tour of the Giants facility. Head Coach Brian Daboll expressed his enthusiasm towards the young star and Daniels gave a clear response of hesitation. This scene became an image to sum up the New York Giants.

After all of the backlash the Giants got this year from that show, combined with the invasiveness of camera crews, NFL teams are not as willing to be a part of HBO’s Hard Knocks. The expansion to the NCAA had negotiations fall short with the University of North Carolina. HBO and NFL Film Productions will likely try other college teams but lack of success could result in the end of the show.

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