A now-infamous version of the NFL’s “Hard Knocks” appears to be facing an uncertain fate.
The future of “Hard Knocks: Offseason” is in doubt after just one season, as the NFL appears to be having a hard time finding any team that would appear on the program. Newsday’s Tom Rock said he has been told that no team is interested in being the subject of the show, which could leave it as a one-and-done.
The New York Giants were spotlighted on the first and, to date, only version of the show, and it could hardly have gone worse for them. The show depicted Giants GM Joe Schoen making the decision to keep quarterback Daniel Jones over running back Saquon Barkley because of the money Jones was owed. In another now-famous viral clip from the show, owner John Mara prophetically told Schoen that he would “have a tough time sleeping” if Barkley wound up signing with the rival Philadelphia Eagles as a result of that decision.
Barkley not only went on to sign with the Eagles, but posted a 2,000-yard season and won the Super Bowl. The clip has haunted the Giants ever since after they released Jones in the middle of the season and wound up going 3-14.
The NFL can force teams to be the subject of the preseason version of “Hard Knocks.” No such mechanism exists for this one, however.
The offseason edition of “Hard Knocks” provided a fascinating window into the inner workings of an NFL team. It also turned out to be terrible PR for the Giants and gave fans endless ammunition to use against the team when the moves depicted backfired on them. No team wants to open themselves up to that risk.
