{"id":849587,"date":"2026-04-02T16:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849587\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:31:15","slug":"nfl-stopped-taking-no-for-an-answer-on-hard-knocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849587\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL stopped taking no for an answer on ‘Hard Knocks’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the NFL announced at its Annual Meeting on Monday that both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots had committed to Hard Knocks \u2014 the Seahawks for this summer, the Patriots for 2027<\/a> \u2014 the immediate question was how the league managed to land two of the NFL\u2019s most prominent franchises for a show that teams have spent years actively dodging.<\/p>\n

According to Adam Schefter, the answer is that the NFL finally started taking teams at their word.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me tell you why there was a double announcement, which we\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d Schefter laid out on his eponymous podcast<\/a>. \u201cBecause the NFL has struggled in recent years to get teams to do Hard Knocks. And when the NFL has asked teams to do Hard Knocks during the summer, the answer that they\u2019re commonly told is, \u2018We\u2019ll do it next year.’\u201d<\/p>\n

How the NFL was able to procure Hard Knocks commitments from the Seahawks for this summer and the Patriots for next summer.<\/p>\n

Cc: @DanStanczyk<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa7 https:\/\/t.co\/SfbQGW2Y7A<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/oAolNFJM7M<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what the NFL did this year is when the New England Patriots said, \u2018We\u2019ll do it next year,\u2019 they said, \u2018You\u2019re in! You\u2019ve got 2027. Congratulations! Next year.\u2019 And so, they\u2019ve taken two Super Bowl participants \u2014 the Seahawks this summer in \u201926, the Patriots next summer in \u201927 \u2014 and they held their feet to the fire,\u201d ESPN\u2019s lead NFL insider continued. \u201cAnd they said, \u2018Next year? Next year it is.\u2019 Next year, they will be on Hard Knocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The criteria governing who could be compelled to participate in Hard Knocks was long structured around a playoff exemption that allowed recent postseason teams to opt out, and the Patriots used that exemption to stay off the show throughout the Belichick dynasty. Even after the league liberalized those rules<\/a> last year \u2014 removing the playoff exemption and dramatically expanding the pool of eligible teams<\/a> \u2014 New England kept pushing it off with the \u201cnext year\u201d response.<\/p>\n

That was until the NFL called the Patriots\u2019 bluff, and the two Super Bowl LX participants ended up locked in back-to-back as a result.<\/p>\n

Following a 2025 Bills season <\/a>that ended with a finale under 37 minutes and was widely criticized<\/a> as hollow, carefully managed PR content indistinguishable from what teams produce for their own YouTube channels, Schefter clearly views the Seahawks and Patriots as a needed course correction for the franchise.<\/p>\n

Hard Knocks has always been at its best when the subjects forgot \u2014 or didn\u2019t care \u2014 that the cameras were there.\u00a0 How could we ever forget Rex Ryan cursing out his team and demanding a snack? But last summer\u2019s version was a great reminder that good access is never guaranteed just because the cameras are on.<\/p>\n

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