Report: HBO, NFL Films announce new ‘Hard Knocks' show, team

Report: HBO, NFL Films announce new ‘Hard Knocks' show, team originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

HBO and NFL Films will introduce a new spinoff of their hit show "Hard Knocks" this summer. And it still won't include the Bears. According to Ian Rapoport, the new show follows the New York Giants as they navigated the offseason from the end of the 2023 regular season leading up to the summer.

It's still unclear who will participate in the best known iteration of "Hard Knocks" which follows a team through training camp. The Bears are eligible to be chosen if no teams raise their hand. It's easy to see how they could make good summer TV, too. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams seems ready to take on a leading man role, and he's got a stacked cast of playmakers around him like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet. Of course, the defense is filled with stars of its own, headlined by Jaylon Johnson and Montez Sweat.

It’s well-documented that the Bears view the show as a distraction and would rather not have the TV crews invading their space.

If the Bears aren't chosen for the training camp edition of "Hard Knocks", there’s still a shot that they could be featured down the road. In 2021, the show launched an “in season” spinoff that follows a team from about halfway through the year for a potential playoff push. This year the show will follow an entire division, so if they choose the NFC North, the Bears will be involved.

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