In a first, the NFL announced its next two years of teams that would be featured on its Hard Knocks show in advance. The Seattle Seahawks will be featured in 2026 and the New England Patriots will be featured in 2027.
Given that both teams have historically been reluctant to be featured, many fans wondered how the league managed to get both of them to agree to it. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL did one simple thing: Called their bluff.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Schefter explained that NFL teams have frequently told the league that they would be willing to be featured on the show "next year" (perhaps in hopes that the league's interest in them would wane) over the next 12 months. Schefter said that when the Patriots gave a similar answer recently, the league decided to call their bluff and lock them in for 2027.
“Let me tell you why there was a double announcement, which we’ve never seen before,” Schefter said. “Because 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’re commonly told is, ‘We’ll do it next year.'
“So what the NFL did this year is when the New England Patriots said, ‘We’ll do it next year,’ they said, ‘You’re in! You’ve got 2027. Congratulations! Next year.’ And so, they’ve taken two Super Bowl participants — the Seahawks this summer in ’26, the Patriots next summer in ’27 — and they held their feet to the fire. And they said, ‘Next year? Next year it is.’ Next year, they will be on Hard Knocks.”
"Hard Knocks"
Hard Knocks is an Emmy-winning sports documentary series produced by NFL Films and aired by HBO that premiered in 2001. The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at NFL teams during training camp, chronicling roster battles, coaching decisions, and personal player stories in the weeks leading up to the regular season.
After an initial run from 2001–2002, the series returned in 2007 and became an annual fixture. Over the years, it has featured teams such as the Baltimore Ravens (the inaugural edition), Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and others, helping shape public perception of players and franchises by highlighting both stars and fringe roster hopefuls.
© David Butler II-Imagn Images.
In 2021, the franchise expanded beyond training camp with the debut of “Hard Knocks: In Season,” following the Indianapolis Colts during the regular season, and it later added additional in-season editions spotlighting other teams and even entire divisions. The show has been credited with increasing fan engagement, boosting jersey sales and player recognition, and offering rare transparency into NFL operations.
While participation rules have evolved—allowing certain teams to be required to appear if they haven’t recently made the playoffs or changed coaches—the series remains one of the league’s most influential media properties, blending cinematic storytelling with the high-stakes drama of professional football.
