The Jets have made it known that they’d prefer not to be featured on the 2023 edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks series, but they may not be able to avoid it.

According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, the Jets are “bracing for” a Hard Knocks assignment this summer.

"I know there's several teams that would love for Hard Knocks to be in their building, we're just not one of them,” Robert Saleh told reporters during Jets OTAs.

But as much as the Gang Green would rather not have cameras filming its players, coaches, and staff behind the scenes at training camp, the Jets fit the criteria to be forced into it. By rule, NFL teams can be forced to participate as long as they aren’t in the first year of a new head coach, haven’t made the playoffs in the last two seasons, and haven’t been on the program in the last 10 years.

Florio notes that the four teams that fit that criteria this time around are the Jets, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders.

While the Jets officially cannot decline being on this summer’s Hard Knocks, the NFL “typically does not make a team submit to Hark Knocks when it doesn’t want to," per the report.

With Aaron Rodgers as the new superstar in the Big Apple, it’s clear why the Jets would be a preferred choice for the program this summer.

And aside from all of the storylines with this current group, the Jets were also featured on one of the more popular seasons, which followed Rex Ryan and company in 2010.

Popular in the Community