Cameras are ready to roll when the New York Jets report to training camp on July 19.
The NFL selected the Jets as the featured team for HBO’s football docu-series “Hard Knocks,” which chronicles the personalities, drama and competition of training camp each summer.
With four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers in his first camp with the Jets following a trade from the Green Bay Packers, interest in the team is high despite last appearing in the playoffs after the 2010 season.
Head coach Robert Saleh was pulling for the other eligible teams — Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders — to get the nod from NFL Films.
“I know there are several teams that would love ‘Hard Knocks’ to be in their building. We’re just not one of them,” Saleh said in June.
Cameras are permitted access to practice and meetings. Often the release of players and other tense interactions are recorded, and Saleh didn’t want any part of the massive viewership of the popular HBO show.
Bears chairman George McCaskey didn’t want his team on the show, nor did Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
Washington was considered a strong possibility based on the ownership drama and uncertainty at quarterback.
–Field Level Media