The Jets might be grabbing a godd–n snack again this summer.
Gang Green is one of four teams that fits the criteria to be featured on HBO’s 2023 training camp “Hard Knocks” season, as pointed out by For The Win. To be eligible, teams “must not have made the postseason for two straight seasons. They must have a coach who is in his second year on the job, at least. And they haven’t participated in the program in a decade.”
Also in the running: The Bears, Commanders and Saints.
There is nothing all that compelling about the Saints currently. And while the Commanders would be amazing television for myriad reasons, there is no way the NFL puts a spotlight on owner Daniel Snyder and his litany of scandals. So that leaves us with the Bears and Jets.
FTW argues the Bears would make for the best television:
By the time the Bears will have potentially been locked in for “Hard Knocks,” they will have just finished an offseason where they will have had to mandatorily spend over $100 million in cap space while harnessing the power of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Factor in one of football’s most exciting players in Justin Fields and a charter franchise notorious for attempting to keep secrets about their inner happenings, and the Bears are a no-brainer.
But we would argue the Jets are a better pick. Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas are likely playing for their jobs, no matter what owner Woody Johnson claims. The potential for a big-name quarterback addition. The Mekhi Becton and Zach Wilson comeback attempts. Wilson’s mom. Charismatic young stars like Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. There is a lot to work with. And they might just be able to live up to the iconic Rex Ryan-powered “Hard Knocks” season of lore.
FTW’s read on the Jets:
There’s a distinct possibility the Jets will soon be in the throes of a quarterback “competition” between Zach Wilson and (Insert Veteran). You also can’t discount the idea of a major market New York team really playing to the camera, as they once did during the Rex Ryan era. Count me on in Gang Green letting us under the hood should the first option fall through.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
