Packers somehow escaped a 'Hard Knocks' disaster this season
While Hard Knocks gives fans a behind-the-curtain look, it's often not advantageous to the teams appearing on the show. The Green Bay Packers have avoided it in the past, but this year, they would've had no choice had the league picked them.
Due to the show's popularity, there are now three versions of Hard Knocks. In addition to the classic format, which follows a team throughout training camp, there is now an offseason edition and an in-season version that documents multiple teams.
The Chicago Bears will appear on the training camp edition, while the cameras have followed the New York Giants this offseason.
Under new rules, the in-season edition of Hard Knocks will follow an entire division. Fortunately, the Packers have avoided all three versions of the show this year.
Packers won't appear on 'Hard Knocks' in 2024
The Packers have often had the option to turn down Hard Knocks under previous rules. That all changed in 2024. Had the league selected the NFC North to appear on the in-season edition, the team would've had no choice.
Many believed the Packers appearing on the show was a near-certainty.
However, with the Bears appearing on the training camp version of the show, the league won't follow the NFC North throughout the year. Instead, the Hard Knocks cameras will document the seasons of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
Hard Knocks goes behind the scenes of an entire NFL division for the first time ever.#HardKnocks In-Season with AFC North premieres December 3 on Max. #BaltimoreRavens #CincinnatiBengals #ClevelandBrowns #PittsburghSteelers pic.twitter.com/NdINcQUtxt
— Max (@StreamOnMax) June 17, 2024
The Packers can breathe a sigh of relief. The last thing they wanted was the added distraction of having the cameras documenting their entire season.
Green Bay appearing on Hard Knocks at some point is inevitable. Previous rules meant a team that had made the playoffs the previous year could decline being selected. That's no longer the case. The Packers will be eligible to appear on the show next year unless they make a head coaching change, but that's highly unlikely.
For now, though, Matt LaFleur can relax and not worry about team meetings and practices being placed under the Hard Knocks spotlight.
But you can be sure the Packers will closely watch the Bears during training camp.
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