The New York Jets are a favorite to be on “Hard Knocks”, but the players don’t seem interested
Justin Hardee, a two-time captain of the New York Jets‘ special teams unit, took to Twitter on Sunday with an interesting post.
Responding to a tweet that listed the Jets as one of the NFL’s four candidates to be featured on the HBO show Hard Knocks this summer, Hardee vehemently stated his displeasure with the idea of the Jets being selected. Hardee asked for the show to be given to another team, saying the Jets are trying to “focus and win” and the show would be a “distraction”.
Man y’all can give hard knocks to another team man we tryna focus and win that’s a distraction 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/I3UKllwL7D
— Justin Hardee Sr. (@jhardee_19) April 2, 2023
Hardee is a respected voice in the Jets’ locker room, so it’s safe to say that his opinion would likely be echoed by many other members of the team. It is difficult to imagine that NFL players, coaches, and staff members enjoy being forced to participate in the Hard Knocks production.
The Jets have not been on Hard Knocks since the summer leading up to the 2010 season. It didn’t seem to distract them too much, as they went 11-5 and won two playoff games before falling one win short of a Super Bowl appearance.
However, the 2010 Jets remain the most recent team to win a playoff game after being featured on Hard Knocks. Since then, only three of the past 11 teams to be featured on the show made the playoffs, and each of those teams (2013 Bengals, 2015 Texans, 2021 Cowboys) was eliminated in its first playoff game.
This year, the Jets are one of four teams in consideration to be selected for the show, along with the Saints, Bears, and Commanders. For a team to be considered for Hard Knocks, they must meet each of the following criteria: 1) they have not been on the show within the past 10 years, 2) they missed the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons, and 3) their head coach must be in at least his second year on the job.
The Jets were a candidate last season, but the Detroit Lions were chosen instead. The Panthers were also in consideration.
This time around, it’s hard not to view the Jets as the favorites to be selected. With Aaron Rodgers coming to town, the Jets will attract more national attention than they ever have before.
It’s unclear when the selection will be announced. Last year, the Lions’ selection was announced on March 28, but in 2021, the Cowboys’ selection was not announced until July 2.
Hardee is hoping the Jets will get lucky and keep the distractions away from Florham Park, but it’s hard to see HBO passing up on the juicy opportunity to surround Rodgers with cameras.
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