NFL, HBO officially announce New York Jets' Hard Knocks premiere date

The NFL and HBO announced the official premiere of this season’s Hard Knocks on Monday. While filming for the show begins this week, the premiere of the first episode will be on August 8 on Max.

Although the news that Hard Knocks would follow the New York Jets this preseason only officially broke last week, the NFL has wanted this outcome since March.

The trade between the Packers and Jets for quarterback Aaron Rodgers was simply too good of a storyline to pass up. That, and there were few, or zero, teams willing to volunteer as the subjects of this season. Only the Jets, Saints, Bears and Commanders could be compelled to participate.

Ready to take flight. ✈️#HardKnocks Training Camp with the @nyjets premieres August 8th on @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/z24BYqtpOY

— NFL (@NFL) July 17, 2023

Check-in for Jets training camp starts on July 19 with camp officially starting on the 22nd.

Rodgers: ‘They forced (Hard Knocks) down our throats’

Aaron Rodgers was none too pleased to learn that the NFL forced his new team into letting the Hard Knocks crew into their lives for the next few weeks. While in previous years there were enough teams willing and able to do the show, this year, the behind-the-scenes documentary crew struggled to find one to follow.

Even though the show is still as popular as ever, it’s often not appreciated by the players and coaches who have to deal with the distractions and extra media presence.

Still, Rodgers understands the deal. The former NFL MVP’s switch to a new team, along with the hype that’s started to build around the Jets and their young stars, are just some of the glaringly intriguing storylines with the team this preseason.

“I understand the appeal with us,” Rodgers said at the American Century Championship. “Obviously, there’s a lot of eyes on me. A lot of eyes on our team. A lot of expectations on our squad. So, they forced it down our throats, and we’ve got to deal with it.”

On the bright side for the Jets quarterback, the HBO crews can’t force him to sit for the cameras. Other big-name NFL stars have found ways to avoid being the lead subject for Hard Knocks, and depending on his mood, Rodgers may try to do the same.

There is also one other good thing to come from the situation, according to Rodgers. He is a big fan of Liev Schreiber. Schreiber has been the narrator for almost every season of Hard Knocks. It’s unclear whether the A-list actor will be available this year following the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began last week.

“The voice of God, who narrates it,” Rodgers said. “Liev [Schreiber]. I hope I get to meet him.”